RALEIGH -- It was a short day in court Wednesday as a Wake County jury heard the last piece of evidence in the Chad Copley murder trial.

Copley is charged with the shooting death of 20-year-old Kouren Thomas in 2016 as Thomas was leaving a party in Copley’s northeast Raleigh neighborhood.

Wednesday morning, the defense asked the judge to dismiss the first degree murder charge claiming there wasn’t enough evidence for the jury to decide that Copley’s actions were premeditated.

The judge quickly denied that motion, however.

Tuesday, Copley took the stand in his own defense.

During a tearful testimony, Copley said he shot at Thomas after he saw someone reach for a gun but prosecutors grilled him for contradicting his original story.

Copley initially told a 911 dispatcher and police during their investigation that he only fired a warning shot and never mentioned someone flashed a gun at him.

The jury will return Thursday for closing arguments then they will begin deliberations.

If Copley is convicted of first degree murder, he could face the rest of his life in prison.