STEUBEN COUNTY, N.Y. -- Closing arguments are expected Thursday morning in the trial of Dakota Miller, the Hornell man accused of killing 17-month-old Ian Maniski-Huff on Thanksgiving 2015.
Before both sides rested Wednesday afternoon, Miller took the stand in his own defense, giving his version of what happened the night of the alleged incident. But for the first time in this entire process, he added something new to his timeline, saying he left his house that night for about an hour.
Miller told the courtroom he stepped outside to smoke weed shortly after Ian's mother Codie got home, from around 11 to 11:45 that night. The prosecution countered that it doesn't fit into his timeline, with hospital officials having clocked them in at 11:56.
The prosecution also referenced nine different versions regarding how Ian was injured that Miller has told people, including his own family members. He admitted to those lies, but responded that he has never injured Ian and would only "play bite," which never left a mark.
"There really wasn't much left today. We had our one witness left, and defense didn't have a whole lot of witnesses to put on,” said Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker. “So we will move on and close tomorrow, and then we'll know what really happened."
Closing arguments begin at 9 a.m. Thursday. Jury deliberations will follow.