Murder Case Against Transient Goes to Jury : Crime: A 22-year-old man is accused of slaying a Simi Valley resident over the latter’s Corvette.

Jurors on Monday began deliberating the fate of a 22-year-old transient accused of killing a Simi Valley man over his Corvette.

Oscar Rudolfo Barrascout is on trial in Ventura County Superior Court in the shooting death of Gregory D. Minor, 37.

The body of Minor, an insurance company employee, was found under a bed in his condominium just after 7:30 p.m. on May 18. He was dead from two small-caliber gunshot wounds to the head, authorities said.

In closing arguments, Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald C. Glynn reminded jurors of testimony by several witnesses who said they saw Minor and Barrascout discussing and test-driving Minor’s white Corvette on May 17 and 18.

“This is a rather bizarre crime,” Glynn said.

He argued that the jury should find Barrascout guilty of murder, burglary and robbery. He also asked jurors to find a special circumstance of felony murder. This would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty because the killing allegedly was committed during the course of another felony, robbery.

Police testified that they retrieved Minor’s car keys, wallet and credit cards in the van where they found Barrascout sleeping about 4 a.m. on the morning after the shooting.

They also testified that they found Minor’s necklace, two gold bracelets and an engraved watch, which were apparently broken when they were pulled off Minor’s body, Glynn said.

Glynn told jurors that Barrascout intended to rob Minor because he was carrying a .22-caliber, semiautomatic Beretta pistol. The gun, which later was found in the van, was used to kill Minor, Glynn said.

But Deputy Public Defender Douglas W. Daily argued that Barrascout was carrying the gun in his pocket with only two bullets in the clip, which would be inadequate in a robbery. Barrascout would not have spent two days being seen in public with Minor if he had intended to rob him, Daily said.

Daily reminded jurors of testimony that Minor had accompanied Barrascout to several banks to watch him try to obtain the $10,000 he was asking for the car.

Daily also said there is no evidence to indicate why Minor was shot and invited jurors to consider an explanation other than armed robbery--that the men had quarreled.

Deliberations are scheduled to continue today.