Final arguments presented, jury deliberation begins in Boxley murder trial
Chief Public Defender Patrick Crowley presents closing arguments on Tuesday in the 25th Circuit Court in Marquette. (Journal photo by Annie Lippert)
Chief Marquette County Prosecutor Jenna Nelson presents closing arguments on Tuesday in the 25th Circuit Court in Marquette. (Journal photo by Annie Lippert)
Chief Public Defender Patrick Crowley presents closing arguments on Tuesday in the 25th Circuit Court in Marquette. (Journal photo by Annie Lippert)
Chief Marquette County Prosecutor Jenna Nelson presents closing arguments on Tuesday in the 25th Circuit Court in Marquette. (Journal photo by Annie Lippert)
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MARQUETTE -- The prosecution and defense presented their final arguments on Tuesday before the jury began deliberation in the Julie Boxley murder trial.
Boxley is charged with one count of felony murder and one count of 1st degree arson and is accused of setting fire to 175 Silver St., in Ishpeming on March 5, 2023, where she lived with Glenn Andrews. Andrews died on March 19, 2023 from injuries he sustained during the fire.
The day in court began with the defense calling their final witness, Dr. Riley Torreano. Torreano was Boxley's primary care physician at the time of the fire, and testified about the follow-up visit Boxley made to him on March 7, 2023.
Torreano testified that Boxley presented with pain in her feet, smoke inhalation injury and conjunctivitis related to smoke. His notes from the visit indicate that he was surprised to see that Boxley's feet were not more injured, given the amount of time she had been outside barefoot after the fire.
Boxley was given the opportunity to testify, but elected to remain silent.
The prosecution called back witness Jack Hooper, the fire investigator, to reiterate that he did not believe it to be possible for Andrews to have sustained his injuries if Boxley had been telling the truth about how quickly he had left the house.
"I was trying to make her story make sense, and I couldn't," said Hooker.
The prosecution's closing argument once again asked the jury to consider inconsistencies in Boxley's argument, the emergence of a new story in the form of the phone call Boxley made from jail on June 5, 2026, Boxley's original story not fitting with evidence and other fires connected to Boxley. Prosecution asked the jury to review evidence such as body cam footage from the night of the fire and recorded interviews of Boxley with law enforcement.
The prosecution also referenced the doctrine of chances, saying that it was improbable that Boxley could have been connected to so many different fires when most people do not experience even one fire during their lifetime.
THE Defense's closing argument once again focused on the lack of specific evidence in the case. Defense said that the inconsistencies in Boxley's story could be explained by the traumatic nature of the event, as well as Boxley's word choice.
"Nit-picking details loses sight of the larger story," said Chief Public Defender Patrick Crowley.
The defense further argued that Boxley had had nothing to gain from the fire -- she lost money, her possessions, her home, her boyfriend and her pets in the fire.
Crowley told the jury that the prosecution had to prove Boxley's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and filled a poster board with post-it notes, each containing a different "reasonable doubt."
The jury was still deliberating by 5 p.m., and deliberations will continue on Wednesday.
Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.