Bloody Sword Murder Trial Day 6 No Breaks: Closing Arguments and the Guilty Verdict

Two closings, one rebuttal, and a verdict reached by flashlight. Isaac Apodaca never touched the sword. The jury still had to decide if his words made him a murderer. This is the full sixth and final day of the Bloody Sword murder trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the recesses removed. Grace Jennings was twenty one and newly engaged when she was killed with a three foot sword in a detached garage. Kiara McCulley swung it, and she has already pleaded guilty. Isaac Apodaca never touched the weapon. The State charged him with first degree murder anyway, because they say he built the killing through his phone. On the final day the lawyers made their last arguments and the jury answered the only question this case ever asked: can text messages make you a murderer? The jury deliberated through a courthouse power outage and reached its decision in the dark, by cell phone light and flashlight, in a room with no power. When the twelve came back, the answer was the same on both counts. WITNESS & HEARING GUIDE 0:00:00 - The charge conference, jury out - Before a single word of closing, the judge, the State, and the defense fight over the jury instructions and the verdict forms. The defense drops voluntary manslaughter on count one, leaving the jury murder or nothing. This is also where Isaac Apodaca tells the court he will not take the stand. 0:44:20 - The jury returns and the judge reads the law - The jury is seated, the defense rests before them, and the judge reads the full jury instructions out loud before anyone argues. 1:04:12 - The State's closing, Ms. Murphy - The prosecution walks the jury back through the phone, the countdown from six, and the messages, arguing Isaac built a murder with words and never had to swing the blade himself. 1:50:24 - The defense closing, Mr. Nair - The first and only time the defense addresses the jury alone. He argues Kiara acted alone, that nothing physical puts Isaac in that garage, and that suspicion is not proof. 2:40:05 - The State's rebuttal and the final charge - The prosecution gets the last word, answers the defense point by point, and the judge sends the jury out to deliberate. 2:56:46 - THE VERDICT - Guilty on count one, first degree murder. Guilty on count two, conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Watch the forms read into the record, then the poll where all twelve jurors confirm it out loud, one at a time. COMPLETE CASE COVERAGE justiceisaprocess.com SUBSCRIBE for daily trial coverage and hit the notification bell so you never miss testimony. JOIN to unlock the Case Notebook powered by NotebookLM, where you can chat with the evidence, ask questions about the testimony, and go deeper than any comment section allows. CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://justiceisaprocess.com/nm-v-ap... Complete case overview: the charges, the timeline, the people at the center, the pretrial rulings that shaped this battlefield, and the legal questions that will decide it. Read this before you watch a minute of testimony. PLAYLISTS AND RESOURCES Website: https://justiceisaprocess.com/coverag... Full Trial Live Broadcasts:    • NM v. Isaac Apodaca - Live Broadcast   No Breaks Edition:    • NM v. Isaac Apodaca - No Breaks Edition   Trial Analysis Podcast:    • NM v. Isaac Apodaca - Case Story Trial Pod...   Key Moments and Testimony:    • NM v. Isaac Apodaca - Key Moments and Clips   Subscribe for Daily Coverage:    / @justiceisaprocess   FAIR USE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings, advancing public understanding of the judicial process through timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #SantaFeSwordMurder #Apodaca