GROVES, Texas — A 45-year-old man who was previously accused of strangling another man at a Groves apartment complex was found not guilty of murder.
Jarvis Cutten was accused of strangling Delvin Dewayne Simon, 33, at the Amber Park Apartments, after the two spent the night watching football in 2021.
Jury reached the verdict on Friday. Cutten's defense attorney, Langston Adams, stated in court that Cutten was facing five to 99 years in prison because he defended himself.
According to Adams, Cutten is a married family man who served with honors in the U.S. Navy. Previous to the death of Simon, the only time Cutten was in trouble with the law was when he was arrested for driving without a license, Adams said.
Adams stated that Simon lived a troubled life and was constantly in fights. The prosecution said that Simon's past had nothing to do with the night he was strangled, and the motive for the murder was anger.
Related: Murder trial continues for Groves man accused of strangling another man at apartment complex
Opening statements began Tuesday and were briefly disrupted by an outburst in the courtroom, where a jury was listening to the defense attorney spell out what to expect in the trial.
Cutten told police he was forced to defend himself after Simon threw the first punch, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Murder trial testimonies continue Wednesday
A medical expert took the stand Wednesday morning. She testified that Simon had caffeine, nicotine, and three different kinds of marijuana in his system when he died.
Adams asked why the drugs administered by EMTs did not show up on the report. The expert said drugs administered on a person who is dead would not show up in the report because there is no circulation.
Adams then asked if those drugs did not show up, couldn't Simon have been on synthetic marijuana without detection? The medical expert went into technical reasons as to why synthetic marijuana should show up on a report.
Murder trial testimonies continue Thursday
A police officer took the stand Thursday. Adams asked the officer if marijuana had been found on Simon the day he was killed. The officer said yes.
Adams then asked if it was tested to see if it was synthetic, and the officer said no. The prosecution rested after the officer's testimony.
Bodycam video from the night of Cutten's arrest was played in court. Cutten could be heard on the video saying he believed Simon had used synthetic marijuana before the alleged attack.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.