In the first full day of defense testimony, Mayor Sheila Dixon's attorneys only called two witnesses.
Chief among them was her pastor Reverand Frank Reid of Bethel A.M.E. Church
"No comment,” he told reporters, “until the trial is over I have no comment."
But inside the reverend testified he's known the mayor for 30 years and calling her trustworthy and full of integrity.
The mayor's defense rested on that note and the jury was excused and told to be back for closing arguments at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.
"We'll be very glad to make our final arguments tomorrow," said Dixon's defense attorney Arnold Weiner.
Weiner said the testimony of four witnesses was all he wanted the jury to hear; hoping it is all they need after the state never called Developer Ronald Lipscomb resulting in two dropped charges.
"You heard what the state promised they were going to produce, you saw how it evaporated. I think I'll have a comment or two about that," said Weiner
But Dixon still faces five charges of stealing gift cards.
University of Maryland law professor Doug Colbert says removing the possible distraction of Lipscomb from this trial may actually help argue for a conviction on the remaining counts.
"I would think that was the main strategy of the prosecution. They sacrificed two charges to present a closing argument that is going to be more straight forward."
Others don't buy it, including Baltimore City Councilman Jack Young who attended trial today to support the mayor.
"I think the mayor is innocent until proven guilty and from what I heard, the mayor is innocent."
Both sides spent the rest of the day hashing out specific jury instructions as there was a fair amount of evidence thrown out in this case. Closing arguments will start at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning and should take each side about an hour.
The fate of Mayor Sheila Dixon could be in the jury's hands by lunch time.
