Jessica Chambers murder trial: Verdict may come Monday in case of teen cheerleader burned alive

A jury is set to continue deliberations in the murder trial of Quinton Tellis, accused of burning 19-year-old Jessica Chambers to death in December 2015. It is possible that a verdict will be delivered on Monday.

Both the defense and the prosecution rested their cases over the weekend, and the jury began deliberations on Sunday, requesting a break for the night at around 7 p.m., according to Fox News Live.

Tellis was tried a year ago but proceedings ended in a mistrial when a jury could not agree on a verdict. A key point for the defense was testimony from numerous first responders who said on the stand they heard Jessica say the name “Eric” when asked who did this to her.

In the second trial, the prosecution put experts on the stand, including a speech pathologist, who testified that the burns in Jessica’s mouth and throat would have made it difficult for her to enunciate properly.

The prosecution also brought a new witness who said she picked up a hitchhiker near the scene of Jessica’s murder that night. She said he was a young, black male but did not know his name and could not identify him.

Tellis’s alibi also came under scrutiny at the second trial. Tellis had reportedly told investigators that he had been with his friend “Big Mike” on the night of Jessica’s murder, but Big Mike testified that he had driven to Nashville that afternoon to attend a football game. According to the Clarion Ledger, Big Mike said on the stand that Tellis was “lying” about having been in Mike’s truck that night, “because my truck was in Nashville.”

Stay with CrimeOnline as we provide the latest updates on the Jessica Chambers murder trial.