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The jury in the Mike Tyson rape trial started deliberations Monday after prosecutors launched a sarcasm-tinged, slash-and-burn attack on Tyson's defense team during closing arguments and called the former heavyweight champion "a wolf in sheep's clothing."
The eight-man, four-woman jury is being asked to determine if Tyson raped a Rhode Island woman here July 19. If found guilty on three rape-related counts, Tyson faces a sentence between six and 60 years.
Vincent Fuller, who headed Tyson's $5,000-a-day defense team, portrayed Tyson's accuser as a spurned woman who sought Tyson's wealth but wound up with a one-night stand.
Prosecutor Greg Garrison presented final arguments on the 13th day of the trial, sitting on the corner of a table and mocking much of Fuller's presentation. "What we need to do here now is bring in some fans, blow out all of Mr. Fuller's smoke, and then bring in some hoses and wash the mud off our shoes," Garrison said.
Barbara Trathen, who assisted Garrison in the case, spoke for 54 minutes; Fuller for 1 hour 27 minutes and Garrison for 43 minutes. Judge Patricia J. Gifford read her instructions to the jury and they were sent to deliberate at 12:57 p.m., EST.
Most courtroom observers believed that Garrison was effective in...