HONOLULU (KHON2) — The wait for a verdict in the Eric Thompson murder trial continues. Jurors deliberated for a half day today before being released for the weekend.

Legal experts we spoke with say prolonged deliberations don’t necessarily mean a split jury, but they do suggest serious debate.

“It’s not unusual at all for juries to take their time to go through the evidence in a case, particularly when you have a murder trial, because at the end of the day, even though people aren’t supposed to be thinking about the penalty or the punishment, everybody knows the stakes are pretty high, and so they are going to be taking the evidence seriously,” said legal expert Doug Chin.

Chin also said it’s likely with a trial such as this one that lasted several weeks that there was an enormous amount of evidence that jurors would need to examine before making a final verdict.

Jurors must decide whether or not Thompson murdered acupuncturist Jon Tokuhara in a calculated act of revenge, or if the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The prosecutors laid out a case build on motive and method. They argued that Thompson was driven with anger over his wife’s affair with Tokuhara, disguised himself and carried out a deliberate execution in January 2022.

“The only person with the motive, with the means, with the opportunity to kill Jon Tokuhara, is sitting right there,” said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ben Rose, pointing to Thompson in closing arguments on Wednesday.

But the defense has pushed back hard, arguing that the state’s entire case rests on circumstantial evidence, telling jurors that suspicion does not equal proof.

“There was no eyewitnesses, no murder weapon, no evidence that Eric was in Waipahu that day, or the days or weeks and years before,” said Defense Attorney Nelson Goo in his closing argument.

“The wild card factor is, how did the jury take the testimony of Mr. Thompson? Because he did take the stand, and if they didn’t like him or didn’t believe him, they’re going to use that to find him guilty,” said legal analyst Alex Silvert.

The jury is scheduled to resume deliberations on the morning of Feb. 25.