Prosecutors said in closing arguments Monday that Officer William G. Porter’s failure to help Freddie Gray turned a police arrest van into a “casket on wheels,” while Porter’s defense attorneys said the state’s case was based on theories and asks jurors to fill in the blanks.

While prosecutors had hinted at it during trial, Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow directly accused Porter of lying about his account and suggested a “coverup.”

Defense attorney Joseph Murtha said there were high legal bars for the state to reach with its evidence in order for jurors to convict — bars they had failed to reach.

“You’re making a legal decision, not moral, philosophical decisions,” Murtha told the jury.

Jurors are poised to begin deliberating after 2:15 p.m. Monday. The closing arguments capped two weeks of testimony, in which Porter took the stand himself and dueling medical experts theorized as to how Gray was injured. Porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment. He faces up to 10 years if convicted on the first count.

Read the article “Freddie Gray Cop Trial: Baltimore on Edge as Jury Begins Deliberations” on baltimoresun.com.