Defense lawyer Thomas A. McManus said Alexis had run into the street suddenly, leaving no time for Gaston to stop. McManus pointed to inconsistencies in D.J.'s accounts of how long Alexis had been in the street and said his testimony was not reliable. Joseph Gaston, Ashanti's father and the owner of the car she was driving, was also named in the lawsuit. In its verdict late Thursday, however, the jury ruled that he was not responsible. The judgement is not final.
Several motions filed by both sides during the trial have yet to be heard.
Robert Clark, a spokesman for the Prince George's County Police Department. He was pronounced dead on the scene, he said. Investigators are looking into the possibility that an intruder committed the homicide but have not confirmed where that intruder entered the house, he said. There were others at home at the time, but they were not harmed, Clark said. There are no motives or suspects yet, he said.