Jury deliberations begin in Chelsea Bruck murder trial

DETROIT -- (WXYZ) -- A man's fate is now in the hands of a jury in the Chelsea Bruck murder trial.

Daniel Clay, 27, is charged with open murder and concealing the death of an individual in her death.

He took the stand in his defense on Monday afternoon.

Bruck disappeared on October 26, 2014, after attending a Halloween party in Frenchtown Township. Her remains were found in a wooded lot in Ash Township on April 24, 2015.

Police arrested Clay on July 22, 2016 and his girlfriend told 7 Action News he confessed to his involvement in her death.

The prosecution rested their case before Clay took the stand on Monday afternoon. He was on the stand for more than two hours.

Clay and the defense team say her death was accidental while prosecutors say he beat her to death.

In court, he said he met Bruck at the Halloween party and started flirting with her. They had sex in his car, he said in court, and she was a willing participant.

According to Clay, he had been drinking and smoking marijuana, and offered Bruck a ride home.

Clay argues that they began having sex again and started choking her after she asked. He testified that he used one hand and then the other, but never hit her.

"I didn't mean for her to die," he said in court.

In court, he also said that she became limp. He said he panicked and didn't know what to do, but didn't take her to the hospital because he was afraid he would go to jail.