Belkis Plata, a lawyer with Jacksonville law firm Plata Schott Law, said much of the evidence is circumstantial since Sawyer’s body was never found.

“So the state, they carry the burden solely, and it’s proven beyond the exclusion of every reasonable doubt. So they have a very high burden that they have to overcome. And for people when you don’t have a body, it’s difficult for them to convict because they just don’t know,” Plata said.

Plata said it’s up to the defense to poke holes in the testimony.

“I’m very interested to see about this informant,” Plata said. “If, in fact, he wore a wire and Quiles admitted to certain things, I think that could be a huge turning point for the state.”

Plata thinks the testimony from Quiles’ brother could potentially sway jurors.

“I think the jury will really hold on to what his brother’s saying because I can only imagine how difficult it must be for a brother to be called to testify against his own brother, but because of the nature of these charges, I think it will hold a lot of weight for the jurors,” she said.