San Diego : Closing Pleas Made in Crossbow Case

An arrow fired into a man’s head last June was either a murder attempt or a freak accident, jurors were told Tuesday during closing arguments in the trial of Jesse Solis.

The 24-year-old is accused of firing a crossbow arrow into the skull of his then-lover, Arthur Ekvall, 29, early in the morning June 8.

The arrow entered Ekvall’s head at the base of his skull, and the point bulged from his forehead without breaking the skin. The arrow did not damage any vital portions of his brain or eyes.

Pointing a finger at the defendant, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Hammes told the jury Solis was a “liar.”

Hammes said the case reminded him of the movie “Play Misty For Me,” because the film also deals with an obsessed person who strikes back at a lover threatening to leave a relationship.

“The relationship was breaking up, and Mr. Solis was upset about it. But nobody’s going to get the upper hand on Mr. Solis,” Hammes said. “He is a vicious, viper-type little individual that will strike back.”

Solis’ attorney, Art Herrera, told jurors not to sort through the minor differences in the stories offered by Solis and the victim.

Herrera said two of Solis’ neighbors corroborated Solis’ claim that the two had been fighting before the crossbow accidentally fired. The neighbors’ testimony contradicts Ekvall’s claim that he was asleep when he was shot, Herrera said.

“This, ladies and gentlemen, is reasonable doubt,” Herrera said. “It’s not a little reasonable doubt. It’s a big one. You could drive a space shuttle through it.”

Hammes said the neighbors’ testimony does not contradict Ekvall’s version of the story because the two did struggle after he was shot with the crossbow.

The jury will begin deliberations Wednesday morning.