Kylr Yust takes stand in double murder trial

Kylr Yust, accused of murdering Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions, took the stand in his defense Wednesday in a Cass County courtroom.

DECADE OF LOSS --TWO FAMILIES NOW WAITFOR JUSTICE --WITH THE DOUBLEMURDER TRIAL OF KYLRYUST -- NOW IN THE HANDSOF THE JURY.RHONDA BECKFORD/KARA'SMOM/"a nightmare when you don't knowwhere your teenage daughter is.it'sa nightmare."KARA KOPETSY WENTMISSING IN 2007 --NINE YEARS LATER --JESSICA RUNIONSDISAPPEARED.JAMIE RUNIONS/JESSICA'S MOM"IT WAS THE LONGEST SEVENMONTHS OF MY LIFE.THOSE SEVEN MONTHS --LEADING TO APRIL 3RD,20-17 --WHEN A MUSHROOMHUNTER FOUND REMAINSIN RURAL CASS COUNTY.KEITH TODD/MUSHROOMHUNTER FOUND HUMANREMAIN"I was just walking on gametrailshoping to spot a mushroom, foundthe skull."THE COMMON LINK INTHESE YOUNG WOMEN'SLIVES -- KYLR YUST.I'm gonna get blamed my wholelife ia freaking wreck,HIS TESTIMONY TODAY --TAKING THIS LONG-AWAITED TRIAL -- ONESTEP CLOSER TO A JURY'SDECISION.THANKS FOR JOINING 41ACTION NEWS ON-AIR ANDON YOUR FAVORITESTREAMING DEVICE.OUR REPORTER ANDRESGUTIERREZ JOINS US LIVEOUTSIDE THE CASSCOUNTY COURTHOUSE --WHERE JURORS ARE STILLDELIBERATING -- BUT WEARE TOLD THEY COULD BEWRAPPING UP SOON FORTHE NIGHT.ANDRES?JURORS DELIBERATED FORALMOST FOUR HOURSTONIGHT KEVIN--AT ONE POINT ASKING IFTHEY COULD SEEEVIDENCE FROM BELTONPOLICE THE JUDGE SAYINGTHEY'D HAVE TO RELY ONTHEIR MEMORY ANDNOTES.THE TWIST TODAY--THEJURY HEARING FROM THESUSPECTED KILLER IN HISOWN WORDS.Turlington: But when you wentto the police station and talktothem, did you tell them thewhole truth?Yust: I did not.AS THE LAST WITNESSKYLR YUST HIMSELF TOOKTHE STAND TO MAKE HISCASE ON WHY HE WASN'TTHE ONE WHO KILLEDKARA KOPETSKY ANDJESSICA RUNIONS ALMOST10 YEARS APART.Kylr Yust/DefendantI became extremelydepressed, Kara didn't showback up and I think I starteddrinking more and, you knousing different kinds of drugs.INSTEAD YUST PINNEDBOTH MURDERS ON HISHALF-BROTHER JESSEPCARTER CLAIMING ON THEDAY KOPETSKYDISAPPEARED HE LEFTHER WITH CARTER...WENTTO BUY WEED...AND THENSTOPPED BY HIS GREATAUNT AT A REHAB FACILITY.Natpop/TolleIt's quite a story you tell.You're just missing a couplepieces that I want to go over.BUT THE PROSECUTIONWASN'T HAVING IT--SAYINGTHIS WAS THE FIRST TIMEEVER MAKING SUALLEGATIONS.Tolle: So you want the jury tobelieve that as you sit hereright now, as you sit here rightnow, that the boy-that theman-that is dead, is the onethat's responsible for this,Kylr?Yust: I think that's why hekilled himself.Tolle: It's really convenient,isn't it that he killed himself?Yust: I don't think anythingabout this situation isconvenient.Tolle: Well, it's convenient foryou, because you get to sit uphere and say, my brother did itin your brother's not here tospeak for himself, right?Yust: I think he killed himselfbecause I said, I wasn't guilty.THE EXCHANGE BETWEENTHE TWO HEATED ATTIMES.Tolle: judge, this is crossexam.Yust: You can't make thingsup.Tolle: I'm not the one makingthings up the Kylr.

That's theirony of this.Yust: Can you show me thepage where he says that inany of his interviews?IN CLOSING ARGUMENTSDEFENSE ATTORNEYSHARON TURLINGTONfocused largely on DNA,toxicology and phone recordanalysisSharon Turlington/Yust's DefenseAttorney/Trace Evidence of shoes,pants, Kylr's house there'snone of that.

None of it.

All ofthat evidence tells you thatKylr could not have doneeither one of these crimesSharon Turlington/Yust's DefenseAnd I know that Kylr didn't tellthe police the right thing.When this happened, he lied.He was a 19 year old kid.ASSISTANT PROSECUTINGATTORNEY JULIE TOLLEPUT UP A TIMER ON THESCREEN IN THECOURTROOM FOR AMINUTE AND A HALFJulie Tolle -- AssistantProsecutingAttorney/and as that minute and a halfis taking off you think of thatwas a young girls fighting fortheir lives.

You think of thedefendants commitment tomake sure that no one elsewas going to have them.

Youthink of his purpose and howhe knew what he was doing.Julie Tolle -- AssistantProsecutingAttorney/He was violent.

He wasdetermined to have her hewas obsessed with her.

Andhe wasn't gonna let anyoneelse have her.THE JURY WILL BE BACKCONSIDERING THEIRVERDICT--TOMORROW AT830 IN THE MORNING.KEVIN?ANDRES -THIS WAS HUGE FOR KYLRTO TAKE THE STAND.WHAT DID HIS TESTIMONYADD TO THIS CASE?WELL THROUGHOUT THETRIAL--EVIDENCE CONNECTED TOJESSEP CARTER HAS BEENEXCLUDED--INCLUDINGTHE SUICIDE NOTE FOUNDIN HIS JAIL CELL.WITH YUST TESTIFYINGTODAY--IT PUTS CARTERAS AN ALTERNATIVESUSPECT ON THE RECORD.KEVIN.THANK YOU ANDR