CSUF student murder trial: Closing arguments conclude

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Closing arguments in the murder trial of an Orange County man accused of killing his roommate, an Iraq war veteran, wrapped up Wednesday, leaving the jury to decide the alleged killer's fate.

Kwang Choi "KC" Joy is accused of killing his roommate Maribel Ramos, a 36-year-old who was about to graduate from Cal State Fullerton, and burying her body in a shallow grave in Santiago Canyon.

"This case is not a sealed box, it is a piece of swiss cheese," Joy's defense attorney Adam Vining said.

The defense pointed to what it called holes in the prosecution's case, including a lack of a cause of death.

"There's a hole that they don't have evidence of what happened," Vining said.

The prosecution countered that they had enough to prove Ramos' death was a homicide.

"We don't have to prove to you the cause of death, we just need to prove it was a homicide," prosecutor Scott Simmons said.

Authorities suspect Joy and Ramos got into a fight over the rent. She told him to leave.

The prosecution claims Joy loved Ramos, but she didn't' feel the same way. He realized he was losing her.

Furthermore, the prosecutor alleges Ramos was afraid of Joy. She called 911 just days before her murder in May 2013.

The defense countered that Ramos suffered from paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Suicide could not be ruled out.

But after Ramos disappeared, prosecutors allege Joy lied about Ramos' whereabouts and had cuts and scratches on his body. He also searched online how long it takes a body to decay and viewed a map of the area where Ramos' body was eventually found.

In May 2013, he told Eyewitness News he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

"She's my best friend. Actually, she's my only friend, my only family member I have, so I miss her," Joy said.