Jurors have begun hearing testimony in the sentencing phase of the Michael Addison trial.
Addison had been found guilty of capital murder for the killing of Manchester police officer Michael Briggs more than 2 years ago.
And the jury has decided he is eligible for the death penalty.
This last phase of the trial will decide whether Addison is to be executed or sentenced to life in prison.
On Friday, attorneys on both sides laid out their cases.
NHPR Correspondent Ellen Grimm has more.
Because of Michael Addison, the family of Officer Briggs is now left with only memories, the state argued on Friday.
STRELZIN: Memories of the brother who was willing to do anything to help his three sisters;
That’s assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin.
memories of the husband and the father who loved his wife and two boys so much that he worked extra shifts so his wife could stay home with her children; and memories of the son, who was loved by his mother and father from the time he was born...
It is because Addison chose to kill Briggs, Strelzin said, and to commit other violent crimes in his life, that the state will ask the jury to return a sentence of death
STRELZIN: Not because it will be the easiest thing to do, but because for this crime committed by this defendant and especially for this victim and all the victims in the Briggs family, every one of them, it will be the most fair and just thing to do.
Briggs's wife, Laura, took the stand Friday and described her husband as humble and hard-working.
At times, guided by senior assistant attorney general Will Delker, she smiled broadly when she recalled their life together, including their first home.
DELKER/BRIGGS: Where did you and he live at that point? Briggs: We lived in Concord. Delker: In a house or an apt? Briggs: An apt. Delker: Was it a nice place? Briggs: Laughter. No. Laughter. Not at all.
And there were many tearful moments.
Briggs described arriving at the hospital on the morning her husband had been shot.
BRIGGS: I just remember there were people everywhere, like lining the hallway, and Mike's room, and something about the media's over that way, and it was just awful. And then to see Mike.
And the impact of her husband's death on her sons, Brian and Mitchell, who were 11 and 8 at the time.
BRIGGS: Mitchell's eyes just say it all. There's like certain milestones that when your kids reach -- you know, I didn't really have a dad, so I just couldn't wait to watch Mike teach Brian how to shave, you know, that kind of stuff.
The defense team has admitted Addison killed Briggs in that Manchester alley two years ago.
But, they argued, Addison didn’t do it on purpose.
Last week, the jurors found the state had proven three out of four aggravating factors, including that Addison murdered Briggs to avoid arrest.
But defense attorney Richard Guerriero reminded the jury that the state had not proven one factor.
Guerriero: But it was not proven that he had a purpose to kill, and if it was not the very worst possible purpose, and if capital punishment -- if killing another human being -- is punishment for the very worst murders, then you've already decided this is not the very worst murder and this is not a case for the death penalty.
Guerriero then focused on what are called mitigating factors.
For more than an hour, he described Addison's childhood, starting with his birth to a teenage mother, Cheryl Kiser, who already suffered from severe alcoholism.
Guerriero read from Addison’s hospital records.
GUERRIERO: 3/13/1980, days before Michael was born: Alcoholic 15-year-old about to deliver.
In that same record Addison’s mother is described as attacking a police officer for coming between her and her boyfriend.
He continued to read:
Guerriero: Cheryl has a long history of psychiatric difficulty. She has been resistant to social services since age 7.
In the coming days, experts are expected to testify that Addison appears to have suffered severe impairment consistent with the effects of prenatal alcohol abuse.
A Massachusetts judge expressed concern for Addison, who lived in his grandparents' home with his mother.
GUERRIERO: He said don't leave Cheryl alone with the baby. That was his order. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.
In the following years, said Guerriero, Addison witnessed scenes of domestic violence and substance abuse.
And it wasn’t long before Addison himself began exhibiting violent behavior.
Addison's mother died last February from chronic abuse of cocaine.
Assistant Attorney General Strelzin had argued that many people have tough childhoods and don’t commit crimes.
And he added Addison made his own choices.
He offered aggravating factors, a litany of Addison's crimes, starting with a threat to kill his mother when he was 16, and an assault with intent to kill when he was in high school.
But defense attorney Guerriero urged the jury to consider what Addison hadn't chosen: his mother and his childhood.
These matter too, he said.
Guerriero: ..No matter what you do, Michael is going to die in prison, whether you sentence him to death or whether you sentence him to serve life in prison, he's going to die in prison. That's the fate he'll suffer for what he did and the things he did and the choices he made. He should suffer that fate. There are no excuses for what he did. But there are reasons in his life, things in his life, that give you reason for compassion and understanding and mercy, and I tried to tell you about some of that. There are are reasons to stop short of putting another human being to death.
This final phase of the trial is expected to last several weeks.
For NHPR News in Manch, I'm EG.
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His attorney said in closing his closing statement:
"There are are reasons to stop short of putting another human being to death."
The answer is Yes... However there are also times when a person needs to be executed...That no amount of spin or political correctness can justify ones own deeds.
Addison had many chances to avoid his fate... He chose to run, He chose to pull the weapon... he chose to pull the trigger..He Chose to kill a cop.... NH has had Capital punishment on it's books for many many yrs... and has not used it for the past 69 yrs for one reason or another. If Addison's actions do not justify it's use then get it off the law off the books it an insult and a misreprisentation of our laws. If it is not justified in Officer Briggs Cold blooded MURDER then it will never be justified. For those who say it costs more to execute the hold in prison for life.. I am confident I can find donors to offset the cost or even some who will volunteer to take care of business for nothing... I'll be at the head of the line !