HANFORD -- The jury in Dave Hawk's trial deliberated for a second day Thursday without reaching verdicts on whether he killed his ex-wife and embezzled from his children's trust funds.
Jurors will resume deliberations in Kings County Superior Court at 9 a.m. today.
Hawk, 51, of Lemoore was charged in mid-2007 with embezzling from his three children's trust accounts and was awaiting trial when he was arrested in May 2008 in connection with the murder of his ex-wife. Debbie Hawk, a Hanford resident, disappeared in June 2006.
Defense attorney Mark Coleman said he thinks the longer deliberations are a good sign for his client. Jurors are looking for evidence to convict Hawk, but "I just don't think they can find it," Coleman said.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said earlier Thursday they were not surprised at the longer deliberations, because jurors have a lot of evidence to comb through.
Dave Hawk of Lemoore, left, is accused of murder in the June 2006 disappearance of his ex-wife, Debbie Hawk of Hanford, right.
Thursday morning, jurors were given a different computer to listen to CDs of recorded conversations introduced as evidence in the trial, because the computer initially provided to them was not formatted for such use, Coleman said.
Defense attorney Dennis Peterson said he believed jurors wanted to hear a conversation secretly taped for investigators by Hawk's friend, Keith Marshall.
Marshall testified that he didn't consider Hawk a suspect in Debbie Hawk's disappearance, but he did have doubts. Hawk told Marshall during the conversation that he didn't kill his ex-wife.
Prosecutor Larry Crouch said the jurors' request seemed to indicate they had moved past the financial charges of embezzlement, tax evasion and perjury and may be considering the murder charge.
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