Jurors for the murder trial of a preacher killed in his sleep in June 2013 will resume deliberation today.

Bulloch County Superior Court Judge John R. Turner sent the jury home Thursday after an hour’s deliberation, with orders to return today at 8:30 a.m.

Tarell Momon, 36, an inmate at Dooly State Prison, and Terrance Ray Griswould, 30, of Augusta, are on trial for the June 30, 2013, murder of Michael Anthony Riley, 51, who was shot in the head as he slept in his Greenbriar Trail home.

Riley’s wife, Antoinette Braddy Riley, 50, of Greenbriar Trail, and her daughter, Katrina Denise Ledford, 30, of Davisboro, both pleaded guilty in June to murdering Michael Riley. Each is serving a sentence of life with parole, and each testified earlier this week.

Prosecutors allege Momon, who was in prison at the time of the murder, orchestrated the hit-style shooting from his prison cell, and said Griswould was involved in the plot as well, stating he drove his car from Augusta to Statesboro to participate.

A fifth suspect, Travis Lorenzo Berrian, 29, of Augusta, committed suicide after pulling a gun in an Augusta probation office when officers tried to arrest him. He shot a probation officer, wounding her, before shooting himself fatally in the neck, according to testimony Wednesday.

The state rested its case early Thursday and did not call additional witnesses in spite of indicating Wednesday it had more available. Defense attorney Lori Mullins, representing Griswould, and attorney Gabe Cliett, representing Momon, called two witnesses Wednesday morning before resting their defense.

Johnny Gregory was called to the stand. He said Griswould was a friend, as well as a client, who used a music recording studio connected to Gregory’s home in Augusta.

He told jurors Griswould was at his home “pretty late” the night before Michael Riley was killed, and was back at his home around 8 a.m. the morning Riley was shot in his sleep around 6:45 a.m.

Gregory testified Griswould commonly loaned his car and his cellphone to others. Prosecutors allege Griswould picked up Berrian before traveling to Statesboro the morning Riley was killed, but Griswould denied the accusation during his testimony, claiming Berrian borrowed his car and cellphone, which was charging in the car, the night before. Prosecutors presented evidence earlier in the week showing Berrian’s phone was tracked from Augusta to Statesboro and back, and two of the Rileys’ neighbors testified seeing a car with a description matching Griswould’s in front of the Riley home.

Gregory testified that Griswould came to his home the morning Riley was killed, stating he did not have his keys and needed to get into the studio, He said an unknown female brought Griswould to the studio.

Gregory also testified that Jake Wynn, an investigator for the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s office, was “rude and disrespectful” when he called Gregory for information about the case. Gregory stated he had been advised to not talk to the DA’s office and later admitted it was his brother who gave him that advice.

The prosecution played a recording of the conversation between Wynn and Gregory, stating that Wynn had not been rude. The audio indicated that Wynn was persistent in asking questions, but Assistant District Attorney Daphne Totten pointed out that Wynn had not been rude or disrespectful. The audio recording revealed Gregory repeatedly refused to answer questions Wynn asked and told Wynn, “I’ll talk about it at the trial.”

Prosecutors asked Gregory why he did not contact the Statesboro police with information about Griswould and his car before the trial, knowing it might help his friend. Gregory said he told Griswould’s attorney at the time, which was not Mullins, and that he “didn’t know who to call” with the information.

The defense then called Keith Tooley, who said he had been Michael Riley’s friend since 1979.

He testified that Riley called him June 11, discussing marital problems between him and his wife, and that Michael Riley told him he found a new gun, along with a receipt, in the Riley home.

Tooley said he was concerned about Michael Riley’s safety, as he knew “there was friction there” between the couple, and that he told Riley to “get out of there or get her out of there.” Riley was not concerned about his safety at the time, Tooley said.

Neither Griswould nor Momon chose to testify, and the defense rested shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday.

The trial resumed after a lunch break, and the state went first with closing arguments.

Assistant District Attorney Joseph Cushner told jurors the testimony they heard during the week was “terrifying.”

He spoke about the testimony revealing the presence of gangs and crime inside the prison system, and said it is “terrifying to know that Momon, who has been in prison since he was a teenager, could organize a hit from inside prison.”

He told jurors that text messages between Momon, Antoinette Riley and Ledford proved that Momon used the cellphone to direct the killing, and he reminded jurors that Antoinette Riley and Ledford each testified the texts from “King” and “The Gifted” were from Momon.

Cushner spoke about the “influence and control over people” Momon has, and referred to Ledford’s testimony that she still considered Momon her boyfriend.

“That says a lot about the power and influence of Tarell Momon,” Cushner said.

He alleged that Berrian and Griswould took directions from Momon, who has been verified as a Gangster Disciple member, as was Berrian. Although Ledford and Antoinette Riley each pleaded guilty to Michael Riley’s murder, “neither pulled the trigger,” Cushner said.

“They played a part in the conspiracy to kill Michael Riley,” the prosecutor said. “One person pulled that trigger, but five people are guilty.”

The murder weapon used to kill Riley has not been found, and evidence did not prove who actually fired the gun that killed him.

Mullins countered with closing arguments by telling jurors the state “is drawing at straws” and failed to prove Griswould was guilty.

“We’ve watched the state try to put a square peg into a round hole, and they failed,” Mullins said.

She said Antoinette Riley killed the victim. Riley denied doing so several times in earlier testimony.

“Antoinette Riley bought the gun that killed her husband, and she is the murderer,” Mullins said. ”They had her since day one.”

Cliett spoke to the jury next, pointing out several pieces of evidence he said did not connect Momon to the crime. He talked about Ledford’s involvement with inmates, reminding jurors that Ledford, a former prison guard fired for smuggling contraband, had a romantic involvement with another inmate as well as Momon, and that letters proved that.

He also said the state mishandled the trial.

“Y’all should be apologized to for sitting through this slow, bogged-down mess of a trial,” Cliett said.

He said much of the evidence produced did not show Momon was guilty and he, too, said Antoinette Riley was the guilty party.

“I do believe the killer was already in the home, and that was Antoinette Riley,” he said.

Totten addressed the jury next.

“Michael Riley is dead because of” all five defendants, she said. “This is a case about going to bed and waking up the next morning, and Michael Riley didn’t have that chance.”

She explained to jurors that the evidence presented to the court was necessary and that the state worked long hours to condense the evidence to only what was pertinent to the case.

“I do believe Momon is a monster,” Totten said. “Anybody who could be involved in a plot to murder somebody is a monster. Tarell Momon ordered a hit from prison. That is what makes him a monster.”

She said Ledford “knows a lot she’ll never tell” and that, “We’ll never know who pulled the trigger.”

Turner advised jurors of their duties, and they were sent into deliberation around 4 p.m.

Jurors asked to view a video of Griswould’s interview with police, and Turner said the video will be available today at 8:30 a.m. when they return to continue deliberation.

Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.