Indiana man’s trial in girl’s 1988 killing nears its end

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – The murder trial of a northern Indiana man charged in the 1988 killing of a 16-year-old girl is coming to a close.

The South Bend Tribune reports that the St. Joseph County jury that’s heard Phillip M. Geans’ trial may begin deliberations in the case as soon as Monday afternoon.

The Mishawaka man was charged in December 2013 in the shooting death of Mishawaka High School sophomore Theresa Burns. Geans was arrested nearly 26 years after the 16-year-old girl’s killing.

Geans opted not to testify during his five-day trial. His defense attorneys rested their case Friday after presenting one witness and two exhibits.

Geans was 17 when Burns was shot in her home after leaving school. Police say Geans and Burns knew each other through friends.