In what came as a surprise to nearly all court watchers, both sides rested Tuesday in the Angie Zapata murder trial.   Though most observers thought the prosecution would rest their case after almost four days of testimony – what came as a shock is how quickly the defense ended their case. Most of the morning was spent hearing from Greeley Police Detective Tharp, who was the primary investigator of Angie’s murder. He was able to weave together key pieces of information from previous evidence, painting a picture of how Andrade plotted to kill Angie because of anti-transgender bias.   After lunch the defense called a few witnesses.  After being questioned, most of their testimony appeared to support the state, rather than the defense.  Based on the witnesses,  the defense seemed to suggest that because Angie was beautiful she was somehow to blame for her own murder. They argued that because Angie presented as a woman, Andrade was somehow justified in his violent reaction.   We are anticipating a media circus when the verdict is reached in this case. Local advocates along with GLAAD are working with the family to make sure they can provide the media with a statement of their overall reaction while allowing them to maintain some privacy.   You can now find live updates on the trial, not only at www.twitter.com/justiceforangie and www.angiezapata.com but also at The Greeley Tribune and on The Denver Channel. Closing statements will occur Wenesday, and the verdict can come anytime after then.