NORFOLK ISLAND - The jurors sitting in Norfolk Island's first murder trial in 150 years will be sequestered when they retire to consider their verdict later this week.
The seven men and four women will be kept together as they weigh up the evidence against New Zealand chefGlenn McNeill, who is charged with murdering Janelle Patton on Easter Sunday 2002.
Ms Patton, a 29-year-old from Sydney, was found stabbed to death in a picnic reserve on the Australian territory in the Pacific.
McNeill, from Nelson, has pleaded not guilty to her murder.
Defence barrister Peter Garling, SC, representing the 29-year-old father of two, will finish his closing submissions to the jury today.
The Chief Justice of Norfolk Island, Mark Weinberg, will then address the jury.
When the jury was sworn in more than four weeks ago, the judge said it was not his practice to "lock jurors up" during the trial, but flagged the possibility they would be kept together during deliberations.
Yesterday, Chief Justice Weinberg told the jurors they would probably be sent out on Thursday and should come prepared for an overnight stay in case they did not reach a verdict that day.
