Jury Urged To Convict Teen

[AP]

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A prosecutor urged a jury Wednesday to
convict a teen-ager in the murder-for-hire of her socialite
stepmother, saying the attack that also severely wounded the teen's
father was ``everyone's worst nightmare.''
Kristi Koslow's lawyers say police coerced the scared girl, then
17, into falsely confessing that she hired her boyfriend and
another teen-ager to slaughter her parents for their money two
years ago.
Her millionaire father -- who survived though his throat was
slashed -- says his adopted daughter deserves to die.
The case was expected to go to the jury later Wednesday. If the
jury finds Ms. Koslow guilty of capital murder, a sentencing
hearing will be held and the same jury will decide between life
imprisonment or death by injection.
In closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutor Robert Mayfield
called the case ``everyone's worst nightmare. ... This was a crime
instigated from within.''
He pointed to a statement in which Miss Koslow said her alleged
co-conspirators, Jeffrey Dillingham and Brian Salter, were only
supposed to rob the Koslows. But, Mayfield said, ``They were there
to kill.''
Defense lawyer Mark Daniel attacked the credibility and
testimony of many of the state's witnesses. He was especially
critical of homicide detective Curt Brannan, who Daniel said
``spent 13 days going down the wrong road at 90 mph.''
Four women are currently on death row but no woman has been
executed in Texas since 1863, when one was hanged for murdering a
horse trader.
Koslow testified that he was awakened early on March 12, 1992,
by the buzz of his home burglar alarm and the scream of his oil
heiress wife, Caren: ``They're in the house!''
Two men broke down the door of the dark bedroom. Dillingham beat
the couple unconscious with a metal pry bar and Salter cut their
throats, the 19-year-olds told authorities. Koslow stumbled to a
neighbor's house and summoned help; his wife died.
Salter, Ms. Koslow's former boyfriend, accepted a life sentence
in exchange for his testimony. Dillingham was sentenced to death.
Salter said Ms. Koslow planned the attack, gave him a map of the
house and the burglar alarm code and promised to share her
inheritance.
An informant's tip led police to the trio two weeks after the
attack. Until then, Koslow had been their prime suspect.
Outside the jury's presence, Koslow said his daughter should get
the death penalty.
``That's what she gave Caren,'' he said.
The defense called just one witness, a lawyer, but the judge
prevented him from testifying that police denied him access to his
client, Ms. Koslow.
The defense also played a recording of Ms. Koslow's arraignment,
when she told a judge that she did not know she had been charged
with capital murder, ``because ... I did not commit the crime.''
Prosecution witnesses testified that Ms. Koslow wanted her
parents' money.
Salter said he and Ms. Koslow shopped for the cars they planned
to buy with the inheritance: a BMW convertible for her and a Toyota
Land Cruiser for him.
Clayton Hudson, her friend and former classmate, testified that
Ms. Koslow told Salter, ``We can kill them easily. I have the house
key. I know what room they're in. I know the alarm code. So you
walk in and do it. It would be easy.''
``Anything Kristi wanted Brian to do, all she had to do was say
it and Brian jumped,'' Hudson continued. ``Kristi definitely had
Brian wrapped around her little finger.''