Closing arguments will begin Friday afternoon in the trial for a woman accused of wearing disguise and gunning down her daughter-in-law in a busy Target parking lot in 2009.
The defense attorneys and Gwinnett County prosecutors have an hour and a half each to recap their case. The jury is not expected to begin deliberations until after 4 p.m. The jury could work into the evening to reach a verdict or adjourn until Saturday or Monday.
Snellville Police say Hayes sought to disguise herself as a man by using a fake wig and mustache on the afternoon of April 26, 2009. They say that Hayes was so confident in the ruse that she shot her daughter-in-law, Heather Strube, 26, in broad daylight in a busy Target parking lot at 1905 Scenic Highway North in Snellville. Strube’s 18-month-old son Carson sat a few feet away, strapped into his car seat waiting for his mom to take him home.
Prosecutors said the reason for the shooting was that Hayes didn't believe Strube was a good enough mother to raise her grandson. Strube and Hayes' son were in the midst of a divorce and custody dispute.
Bruce Morriss, one of two attorneys representing Hayes, said the case is circumstantial and based on a flawed theory by Snellville Police. He said investigators zeroed in on Hayes because they believed she was among a select group of people who knew about Strube’s child custody arrangement with her estranged husband. However, Morriss said the custody arrangement had been filed in court for several months, and more than a dozen other people knew about it.
Hayes, 45, of Luthersville, Ga., did not take the stand to testify.
About the Author
