Butterfield is accused of shooting his 21-year-old daughter Rebekah several times before putting her body in a freezer in his recreational vehicle in 2006.
Authorities said Rebekah Butterfield was still alive when she was put into the freezer.
The defense insists that Butterfield came home to find his daughter dead and put her in a freezer because he thought no one would believe him.
Her body was discovered two years later, in 2008, by two yard workers in San Clemente.
If convicted, Butterfield could face life in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
