PITTSBURGH -- After 22 days of testimony and 44 witnesses, lawyers in the Dr. Cyril Wecht trial began their closing arguments Monday. Now, the fate of the famed pathologist is in the hands of the jury.

Wecht has made millions for his private investigations into deaths, including celebrated cases such as JonBenet Ramsey, Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel and Laci Peterson, among many others.

He faces 41 counts, mostly mail and wire fraud, for allegedly having his county employees send invoices and other correspondence relating to his private practice from the coroner's office on county time.

Prosecutors told the jury on Monday that Wecht used public resources at taxpayer expense, saying the evidence shows he did it over and over again, bringing substantial profit to himself by cutting his overhead.

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Prosecutor Jim Wilson also argued "the defendant using his authority as coroner to highjack bodies to meet his private obligations in his contract with Carlow College."

Wilson told the jury that former Carlow president Sister Grace Ann Geibel is a woman of faith. He said, "Her faith in God is well-placed, but her faith in defendant, not so much. Even I am smart enough not to pick a fight with a nun."

But Wilson said he might take issue with "a former college president."

Wecht defense attorney Jerry McDevitt told the jury that the government has not come close to proving wrongdoing by Wecht.

"A mountain of documents is often used to hide a molehill of a case," McDevitt said in his closing argument.

McDevitt said Wecht's clients never complained about his billing, even after the indictment. He said a legal autopsy of the prosecution's case shows it is malignant and malicious.

The defense argues that prosecutors never talked to a single person at Carlow before bringing the body trading charges. It quotes Geibel as calling it "reprehensible" that they never talked to her.

McDevitt asked if it was a crime for Wecht to work with law enforcement from other counties solving crimes, and asked why state troopers and attorneys weren’t indicted here as co-conspirators.

The defense told jurors, "There is no man or woman who deserves to be treated as he was in this case."

"You're going to write the next chapter of his life," McDevitt said. "I urge you to do justice here. The only justice here is to acquit him of these charges. Please do it for him now, 41 times, not guilty. No miscarriage of justice."

The jury is expected to be back in court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday for deliberations.

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