FARMINGTON — A jury deliberated more than four hours Friday before recessing for the weekend without a verdict in the murder trial of Timothy Danforth of Farmington. Jurors will reconvene Monday morning.

Danforth, 25, formerly of Wilton, is accused of shooting Michael Reis, 24, of New Sharon three times with a shotgun on June 1, 2016.

Lawyers for the defense and prosecution presented closing arguments Friday. The trial began Monday.

The death was a “tragic, senseless incident,” Assistant Attorney General Robert Ellis said. “It was a fight over a $200 bag of marijuana that got out of control.”

According to testimony at the trial, Zachary Uhlman of Wilton was fronted a bag of marijuana by Robert Danforth, the father of Timothy Danforth. Problems arose a few months later when Uhlman did not pay him back.

Considering the 140 pieces of evidence presented, Ellis told the jury it was like a jigsaw puzzle and they would have to try to fit the pieces together to determine what happened at 259 Weld Road in Wilton.

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According to witnesses, Reis, Uhlman and four others were supposed to meet the Danforths at a golf course near their home to settle the conflict. When the Danforths didn’t show up, one of the six approached the home and the others heard a gunshot.

Reis then approached the home and was shot, witnesses said.

Ellis said in his closing statement that through a barrage of texts and phone calls, back and forth throughout the day and evening, Uhlman had sought a “hand-to-hand, man-to-man with no weapons” confrontation.

Ellis recounted text messages from Timothy Danforth to a female during the evening in which he wrote he was probably going to jail soon. “Got gun ready, carload coming,” he wrote. He had three guns, two bats and five knives, according to the texts.

Ellis said there was no evidence that Reis or Matthew Kerr, who had approached the home to try to mediate the situation, had a weapon.

The defense claimed the shooting was in self-defense, but Ellis disputed that.

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All of the witnesses said they heard Timothy Danforth shout, “‘The next person on my property gets shot,'” Ellis said.

“Does it sound like someone in fear, needing to defend himself or someone living up to his words?” the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Wilson said in his closing statement that the state had not “come close to meeting the burden of proving (Timothy Danforth) guilty.”

After Danforth’s warning, Reis ignored it and went up onto the porch in black clothing on a black night. “That’s defending yourself, your father, your fiancee inside and defense of your castle,” Wilson said.

He reminded the jury to think of the inconsistencies.

Phone logs show Robert Danforth was called 67 times within a few hours; witnesses said three to four times.

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Kerr was the only eyewitness to the shooting. He changed his testimony regarding where the Danforths were standing on the porch when Reis approached.

Kerr also said the shooting started when Reis was at the bottom step. That doesn’t agree with the state’s expert witness, who reconstructed the scene with a dummy and measured, according to Reis’ wounds, Wilson said.

Reis was on the porch and may have made it up to 4 feet from the steps, the expert witness said.

Robert Danforth said he pushed this unknown person off the steps two or three times, but he kept coming back.


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