As the jury begins deliberations in the Dalton Adam murder trial, the main question has become whether David Hansen was killed by the first punch

A jury of seven men and five women at the Chickasaw County Courthouse in New Hampton has begun deliberations  in the murder trial of 19-year-old Dalton Adam.

Closing arguments were made Friday morning, with Defense Attorney Andrew Thalacker contending in his closing remarks that Dalton Adam used "reasonable force" in defending himself from an attack by 46-year-old David Hansen of Freeport.

Thalacker told the jury, "one punch and David Hansen is dead on the ground."  He further stated that since Hansen threw the first punch in the fight, Dalton Adam was justified in throwing his first punch.  "This is a tragedy in every way," Thalacker told jury members, saying Adam had no personal animus against David Hansen.

But Special Prosecutor Scott Brown urged the jury not to consider this a "one-punch case," but to remember Adam's confession to police that he punched Hansen 20 to 30 times and kicked him 8 to 10 times.  "Why jump on him and pummel him?" Brown asked of Adam's actions, saying if Adam had stopped after the first punch, we would have known if that first punch killed Hansen.  "This is all one happening," he told the jury members.