****UPDATE: Arrington was found guilt of first-degree murder and armed robbery on Thursday morning.****
The first-degree murder case against Troy Arrington was given to the jury after closing arguments were delivered on Wednesday afternoon.
After about three hours of deliberation, the jury went home for the day without rendering a verdict.
Arrington is one of two suspects accused of killing Feng Liu, who was a research professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Liu was killed in July 2014 when taking a walk around the campus.
Liu was hit in the head with what officials described as a landscaping rock and robbed.
Arrington and Derrick Davis were both at the scene when other individuals arrived who said the two were not rendering any aid nor calling 911. The two were arrested the day of the assault. Liu died the next day after surgery.
District Attorney Jim Woodall said the evidence pointed to Arrington as being the one who “brutally murdered” Professor Liu. Woodall pointed to the fact that items were ordered using Liu’s credit card and delivered to Arrington’s address.
Public defender James Williams conceded that Arrington was at the scene of the crime that day, but Williams said Davis, not Arrington, was the suspect who committed this murder. Williams said there was no physical evidence indicating beyond a reasonable doubt that Arrington was the killer.
While Woodall said the evidence that was submitted did show that Arrington was the one who struck Liu, he said both Arrington and Davis were guilty of first-degree murder.
Davis will be tried at a later date.
The jury received instruction on interpretation of the law from Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour on Wednesday before beginning deliberation.
The jury will begin discussions again on Thursday morning.
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