Closing arguments heard in Hollywood severed head case

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Closing arguments were heard Tuesday in the case of a man accused of murdering his boyfriend, dismembering him and leaving his head in Griffith Park.

In sight of the landmark Hollywood sign, hikers first found a decapitated human head, then feet and hands.

Dismemberment. The bloodiest of crimes was blamed on 38-year-old Gabriel Campos-Martinez for the murder of his 66-year-old boyfriend, Hervey Medellin.

Burying the remains was the only way to cover up an alleged strangulation, prosecutor Bobby Grace said.

"The killer did not want Mr. Medellin to be found, and he went through a lot of trouble to do that," Grace said.

Investigators seized a computer from their apartment. On it was a grisly search history, including how to butcher a body.

"Most of the work can be done with a few simple tools, sharp, clean, short-, long-bladed knives, a cleaver, or hatchet and a hacksaw," Grace said.

The defense asked where is the proof that Campos-Martinez did that Internet search. And if Campos-Martinez hacked Medellin's body, where did he do it. Investigators found no tools, no sign of blood in the apartment, or in the suspect's vehicle.

"The car. They checked the car. They impounded the car. They looked at the car. Again, no blood in the car," defense attorney Rodolfo Navarro said.

Plastic bags which held the remains and trash nearby were fingerprinted and tested for DNA.

"Did it match my client? No," Navarro said.

The prosecutor says this though is a case of common sense, Campos-Martinez lying about Medellin's disappearance, draining his bank account and pawning his jewelry.

The case went to the jury late Tuesday afternoon. Deliberations begin Wednesday morning.