DES MOINES, Iowa — The prosecution and defense had one last chance to present their case to the jury in the trial for Bravon Tukes, the alleged getaway driver in the Starts Right Here shooting.
On Thursday, the prosecution told the jury to look at the overwhelming evidence, while the defense claimed the evidence doesn’t align with Tukes making a premeditated plan with convicted shooter Preston Walls.
Both defense and prosecution spoke in depth about each piece of evidence in their closing arguments.
“The defendant's case is nothing but a bag of excuses,” said prosecution attorney Daniel Vogt.
The defense wanted to shed light on what they believe wasn’t a premeditated shooting.
“Let me tell you the real plan. The real plan was that Preston Walls would graduate, like Bravon Tukes had before him,” said defense attorney Nick Bailey.
While laying out the evidence on each side, one common argument was Tukes’ car.
Tukes had tinted windows and no license plates, something the defense argued shows he wasn’t planning a getaway.
“So, who again drives a vehicle that is literally the embodiment of rolling probable cause to the scene of a getaway of a triple homicide conspiracy?” Bailey said.
The prosecution had a response for each argument, with Vogt adding: “Who drives a getaway car with no plates? This guy."
However, the defense argued that this is a case of knowledge, and Tukes had to know Walls was going to commit this act.
The defense spoke about his search history in the minutes leading up to the alleged getaway, saying what he was searching shows that he was planning for the future.
The defense also addressed text messages between Walls and Tukes about them saying they wanted to kill OMB gang members, the gang the two victims were believed to be part of.
Tukes’ defense said that they were kids just grieving the loss of their "brothers".
“And these are messages of despondent young men who are devastated that their family has been ripped a part by not one, but two killings,” Bailey said.
The state argued that these messages show a motive.
“The fact that you are sad because your brother got killed or your brothers got killed, is not an excuse for shooting three people,” Vogt said.
The jury deliberated for about two hours on Thursday, but no verdict was announced.
Tukes is charged with:
- Murder in the First Degree (two counts)
- Attempt to Commit Murder (one count)
- Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury (one count)
- Criminal Gang Participation (one count)
The jury will resume deliberations on Friday morning.