NATCHEZ — The prosecution in the trial of Christopher Lee Baxter rested its case Thursday, after finishing with its witnesses and playing a taped interview of Baxter the morning after Sheriff Garry Welford was killed.

Baxter is one of two being tried separately for capital murder for Welford’s death in July 2010. Baxter is not eligible for the death penalty because a judge has ruled he suffers from an intellectual disability. The jury could get the case as soon as today.

On the 2010 video of the interrogation performed by a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent and a FBI agent, Baxter appeared fidgety and spent some of his time bent over while sitting in a chair, not looking at his questioners and mostly giving one sentence answers.

But when prodded about the previous day, he admitted demanding the other defendant, Brandy Williams, who will be tried in Lafayette County, let him drive after the pursuit began. He admitted driving through the roadblock where Welford was fatally struck, but he provided no details of the moment of impact. He seemed shocked when he was told Welford had been killed.

Baxter said on the interrogation tape that he saw three deputies scatter at the scene and he swerved to miss them, but said he thought he may have “nudged” one of them.

“I don’t believe I never even slowed down,” said Baxter, who speaks with an especially thick Southern accent.

The prosecution contends both Williams and Baxter drove during the high speed chase, but it’s unclear when they switched positions. At points in the taped interview, Baxter said he didn’t remember other details and contradicted many of his other statements. He also said a Chevrolet Tahoe was at the roadblock, but there wasn’t.

The defense noted several other witnesses who took the stand said they saw a female driving the truck in the pursuit, but the prosecution countered that none testified they were able to see who was driving when it actually hit Welford. One deputy, who was at the scene, did say earlier this week that he believed he saw a passenger with hair similar to Baxter’s.

Baxter said he wouldn’t let Williams out of the vehicle. He was asked on the video how he got Williams to go along with him after the chase and into the woods overnight and whether Williams might have any reason to be afraid of him. Baxter said he had slapped her once, which made her nose bleed. He also said when he gets mad he sometimes will “black out.”

He had also admitted using drugs in the days leading up to Welford’s death and said he needed some more early in the interview.

Two days before Welford died, Baxter had failed to appear in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to two felony methamphetamine charges. He was looking at jail time for those charges and a warrant was issued for him when he didn’t show up. The pursuit began when a deputy spotted Williams, who was dating Baxter, driving in her father’s maroon Chevrolet Z-71 pickup truck. The deputy said he had reason to believe Baxter was in the truck because he saw an arm on the passenger side.

The 14-minute chase along two-lane George County roads came to a roadblock at the corner of Howard and Bexley roads. There three sheriff’s vehicles waited to intercept. Deputies and the sheriff stood with guns drawn, hoping it would convince the driver of the truck, whom none could later identify, to stop. But Welford was run over and died from severe injuries. The vehicle was traveling about 45 mph, according to an accident reconstruction official who testified.

Former George County Deputy Justin Strahan testified Thursday he saw Welford standing with his gun drawn at the moment of impact. The sheriff’s gun was knocked from his hand and he rolled up onto the hood of the truck, fell off and was run over, Strahan said. Strahan tended to the sheriff, who was laying on his back, with his legs bent underneath him. The sheriff couldn’t talk, and struggled for breath, Strahan said. He died within a few hours at a Mobile hospital.

Again Thursday, defense attorney Tom Fortner raised the issue over whether the chase was necessary to catch Baxter, who was wanted for a nonviolent crime. Strahan had gone to look for Baxter at Williams’ house after he didn’t show up for court, but admitted he hadn’t looked anywhere else before the chase. He said he couldn’t remember what other work matters he was handling then. When asked whether he would have gone to the house with his siren on and lights flashing, Strahan said that would have been “ridiculous.”

“It would have been. This chase was rather ridiculous, Officer Strahan,” Fortner said.

“No sir, it was not,” Strahan responded.

“It ended up in the death of your sheriff, didn’t it Officer Strahan?,” Fortner asked.

“Your client had a mile to pull over,” Strahan said.

“You don’t know if he was driving, do you, Deputy Strahan?” Fortner asked.

Strahan said he didn’t and soon after told Fortner “we wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for your client,” Strahan said. Fortner shot back they “wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the pursuit of this person, would we officer Strahan?”.

Earlier in the day, Welford’s relatives shed tears as the jury was shown autopsy photos. The medical examiner described the injuries to the sheriff, which included his neck being broken in two places, a lacerated liver, many broken ribs and a bruised heart and other trauma. The prosecution displayed pictures of the sheriff’s scraped and bruised face to the jury.

Circuit Court Judge Kathy King Jackson was also called by the defense to testify Thursday that she remembered then George County Chief Deputy Tony Keel, who was in charge after Welford’s death, telling her on the day after Welford was killed that a “girl” was driving the truck that hit Welford. Keel testified earlier this week he didn’t have much sleep the night before, and had spoken to many people and didn’t recall saying that to Jackson.