Projecting a huge photograph of Nixzmary Brown’s emaciated and bruised corpse on a screen before the jury, prosecutors summed up their case against the girl’s stepfather, calling her body the “most eloquent piece of evidence” in the case.
“Each mark, bruise, laceration, contusion, abrasion, ligature mark, tells the story of systematic abuse and torture that she suffered at the hands of this defendant,” said prosecutor Ama Dwimoh
The prosecutor walked within feet of defendant Cesar Rodriguez and stared directly at him – a gaze Rodriguez returned.
“You were never a father to Nixzmary Brown,” Dwimoh said. “You beat her, you bound her, you did this to her, you battered a little girl who weighed 36 pounds. She lay dying on the floor after you beat her for the very last time.”
Rodriguez’s lawyer, Jeffrey Schwartz, told the jury of 10 women and two men that his client had abused the girl, but didn’t kill her.
“Cesar Rodriguez is a child abuser, but you have not seen any evidence in this courtroom that has proven beyond a reasonable doubt any murder or manslaughter charges,” he said.