Jury deliberations were expected to begin Wednesday in the case of three men charged in the stabbing and attempted carjacking of Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Mike Adams last year.
Dquay Means, 26, and Jerrell Whitlock, 27, are charged with attempted homicide. They are also charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and attempted robbery, as is Michael Paranay, 26.
Prosecutors argued that Adams was stabbed during an attempted carjacking in June, but defense attorneys said a fight began after Adams knocked food out of Paranay's hands. Adams, a 6-foot-7, 325-pound offensive lineman, was hospitalized for four days.
Paranay's attorney, Randall McKinney, said Adams was ``obliterated drunk, aggressive and out of control.'' Means' lawyer, Fred Rabner, said Adams' account of events changed three times.
``It is perfectly appropriate to consider Mike Adams would lie,'' Rabner said, saying the player was already on thin ice with the team. ``He had a million reasons to lie.''
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Stone called the case ``a simple credibility determination.'' He said all that had changed in Adams' story were specific details initially left out in the aftermath of the stabbing, and that Adams was forthright in his testimony and gave ``calm, perfectly responsive answers.''
``If you believe Mike Adams, then you must convict all three men,'' he said.
