Prosecution: Evidence keeps pointing back to Alex Fazzino

Prosecutor Scott Brown

In his closing arguments Tuesday in the Alex Fazzino murder trial, prosecuting attorney Scott Brown asked jurors to look for the best explanation of what happened the night of January 29th, 2012.

"The truth has been exposed," he concluded at the end of a 75-minute closing argument.  Brown focused on the events of January 29th and the week leading up to Emily Fazzino's death.  He argued that Alex Fazzino felt he was losing control, losing money, losing employment and losing sympathy because Emily Fazzino had filed for divorce.

Brown said the trial was "the State of Iowa versus Alex Fazzino--not the State of Iowa versus Emily Fazzino" and argued that Emily had put her addiction to  prescription opiate painkillers behind her and was doing better and had "gotten her spark back."

But during the week of January 22nd, she had said three times she felt unsafe around Alex Fazzino--once to her babysitter, once to a teacher and once to her father, just an hour and a half before her body was found in the bathtub of her home.

When police arrived at Alex and Emily Fazzino's home, Brown said Alex didn't ask "How did this happen?" but kept trying to convince the police of Emily's addiction.

The defense in the case has said Emily Fazzino fell in the bathtub after a seizure or fainting spell.  But Brown said when jurors look at all the injuries Emily suffered, they cannot be explained by a fall.  He asked them instead to look at where the evidence points, then showed a slide which said, "When you hear thundering hooves, think horses, not zebras."