A spokeswoman for the DA's office said prosecutors wrapped up their case Friday morning and the defense did not call any witnesses.
Judge Patrick Murphy dismissed the jury for the weekend.
Closing arguments are set for Monday morning.
We weren't in the courtroom for today's testimony, but below is our story from yesterday afternoon, followed by links to our previous coverage.
Ex-roommate testifies Taylor talked about fire
By BRANDON JOHANSSON
BRIGHTON | About a week before prosecutors say he started a fatal apartment fire, Douglas Taylor told his roommate he would burn down her boss’ house, the roommate testified Thursday.
“I think if I would have said, ‘Hey, do it,’ he would have done it,” said Heather Herries, who let Taylor live at her Dupont home in the weeks before the May 2009 fire in Aurora that left Jose DeJesus Martinez, 52, dead.
Herries testified Thursday during the third day of Taylor’s first-degree murder trial.
She said one day that spring she complained to Taylor about her boss and Taylor made the peculiar offer to burn the boss’ house down.
After Taylor made the unsolicited offer, Herries said she had to spend some time talking him out of it.
“I just remember telling him, ‘You can’t play God,’” she said.
The strange offer wasn’t the only time Taylor — who Herries knew as “D” or “Dragon” — talked about fire in the days leading up to the blaze, she said.
“I just know that a lot of what D was talking about on a regular basis was fire,” she said.
Prosecutors say that the night of the fire, May 28, 2009, Taylor was upset at his ex-girlfriend for hanging up on him.
They say Taylor and a friend Coy Dunn, drove to the apartment building at East 23rd Avenue and Emporia Street in Aurora, where he believed his ex-girlfriend was.
Taylor poured gasoline from a plastic bottle on the stairs and in front of the door to an apartment he believed the woman had stayed at. Then he took a purple lighter from Dunn and set the gas aflame.
The fire destroyed the two-level apartment building. Everybody in the eight units made it out that night except Martinez.
During their opening arguments Tuesday, Taylor’s defense team argued that it was Dunn, not Taylor, who was responsible for the fire that night.
Taylor, 35, faces more than 30 charges, including first-degree murder and numerous counts of attempted murder stemming from the blaze.
Dunn, 22, accepted a plea deal late last month and testified early in the trial against Taylor.
According to court records, Dunn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted murder. He will be sentenced to 34 years on the murder charge and 16 years on the other.
Also Thursday, Dunn’s ex-girlfriend, Coleene Wanser, testified that the night of the fire, Dunn returned to the couple’s Commerce City motel room scared and shaking.
When he climbed into bed with her, Dunn’s hands smelled like gas, Wanser said.
Taylor’s trial is expected to last two weeks. Prosecutors said Thursday they expect to call their last witness Friday.
After that, the defense will have the opportunity to call witnesses.
Wednesday's story about opening arguments:
Taylor defense: Investigators bought bogus story of fatal arson from Dunn
Thursday's story about Aguirre's testimony:
Man targeted in 2009 Aurora arson fire takes the stand
And our trial preview from last week.
Trial to begin for Taylor in fatal apartment blaze
Unfortunately, I missed what was likely the highlight of the trial, which was Dunn's testimony against the former friend he knew as "Dragon." Hopefully Monday's closings will touch on some of that.
Check back Monday for updates.
-Brandon
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