Bechler jurors continue deliberating

Deepa Bharath

SANTA ANA -- Jurors on Thursday continued deliberations but reached no

verdict in the trial of Eric Bechler, the man accused of murdering his

wife during a boating trip more than three years ago.

The 12-member jury, which started deliberating late Wednesday

afternoon, is expected to continue deliberating today. Family members and

members of the media lined the corridor of the 10th floor of the Orange

County Courthouse until jurors filed out around 4:30 p.m.

The prosecution has alleged that Bechler hit his 38-year-old wife,

Pegye, on the head with a dumbbell and dumped her body in the ocean.

Bechler has consistently pleaded not guilty, saying his wife was swept

underwater by a wave while driving their rented speedboat and towing him

on a bodyboard. Her body has never been found.

Both prosecution and defense attorneys concluded their closing

arguments Wednesday afternoon. The prosecution maintained that Bechler

murdered his wife for her $2.5-million life insurance policy. Prosecutors

brought in a forensic accountant to interpret the more than 22,000 pages

of the Bechlers’ financial records.

The defense argued throughout the trial that Bechler lied about

killing his wife to impress his former girlfriend Tina New. Bechler was

arrested in October 1999 after New wore a recording device to help

investigators surreptitiously tape conversations between her and Bechler

in which he talked about killing his wife.

The defense said Bechler fabricated a grisly tale of murder and

betrayal to fuel New’s fantasy of being with “bad boys” who lived on the

edge and had frequent encounters with the law.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Bechler will face life in prison

without parole.