VISTA, Calif. – A prosecutor has told a San Diego County jury that there is a "mountain of evidence" against a Los Angeles actor accused of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe said in his closing argument Tuesday that Shelly Malil was guilty of attempted murder the moment he picked up a kitchen knife in 2008 to stab Kendra Beebe.
Watanabe says Beebe was stabbed more than 20 times and should have died from her wounds.
Malil faces 21 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated attempted murder and other charges. He appeared in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
Defense attorney Matthew Roberts is expected to give his closing argument Wednesday.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.signonsandiego.com
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
VISTA, Calif. (AP) — Testimony is expected to conclude Tuesday in the trial of a Los Angeles actor accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend at her San Diego County home.
Shelley Malil, who appeared in the film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," testified Monday he understands he's responsible for her wounds but doesn't remember inflicting each one.
Malil told jurors he started flailing with a knife because he was struck in the back of the head in Kendra Beebe's yard in 2008 and was fighting back, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Pointing to photographs of Beebe's wounds, a prosecutor asked Malil if he could feel the knife cutting into her flesh, and if he had aimed for certain parts of her body, such as her neck, back and inner thigh.
"I don't remember any specific act that I did that caused any specific injury to her body," Malil told the jury.
He also testified that he did not know the full extent of Beebe's injuries until months after the stabbing, when he first saw the hospital photos.
"It just didn't make sense," he said Monday. "It didn't make sense that our little conflict that we endured caused that much injury."
Beebe testified last week that her ex-boyfriend walked up to her at her home in San Marcos, repeatedly called her names, then without warning stabbed her three times.
Beebe said a visiting friend disarmed Malil but the actor grabbed a butcher knife and chased her through the house, continuing to stab her until she collapsed on the front porch and a neighbor intervened.
Malil, 45, could be sentenced to 21 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and residential burglary.
Malil played Haziz, a co-worker to comedian Steve Carell's title character, in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://signonsandiego.com
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