MARIETTA – After nearly 11 hours of deliberation, a jury found Ira David Blair, 29, of Marietta guilty Friday of the beating death of 68-year-old Frank Stephens on April 2, 2013.

Blair now faces a mandatory prison sentence of 15 years to life for the murder charge.

He was also found guilty of one count of second-degree felonious assault and a fourth-degree count of breaking and entering related to the Stephens murder case in Washington County Common Pleas Court.

The jury deliberated from 1 p.m. until nearly midnight Friday, following closing arguments by the prosecution and defense that had ended around noon that day.

The beating death occurred at a mobile home on Groves Avenue in Marietta owned by 53-year-old Richard Haught, who died from natural causes in November.

Blair’s attorney, Rolf Baumgartel, maintained that Haught was actually the one who murdered Stephens.

During his final argument Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Rings told the jury that, after the beating Blair left the mobile home and walked to Third Street where he broke into an apartment belonging to Ali Martin and fell asleep until he was awakened by Martin’s father and arrested by the Marietta City Police for breaking and entering.

“(Blair) said Ali Martin gave him permission to stay at the apartment, but she gave testimony this week that she didn’t give anyone consent to enter her apartment,” Rings said, noting that Blair broke the door to the apartment by forcing it open.

But defense attorney Rolf Baumgartel said his client did receive permission to stay at the apartment from Ali Martin and a mutual friend, Trent Mason, whom Blair phoned in Columbus where the pair were staying and taking hits of heroin during the early hours of April 2 when the Stephens murder took place.

“The issue is if he had permission to enter the apartment, then he didn’t trespass,” Baumgartel said. “Why would someone burglarize a home then go to sleep, knowing the residents would be coming? He had permission to enter the house. The only way you can decide otherwise is if you believe Ali Martin’s testimony.”

Baumgartel noted Ali Martin, Blair, and Mason were all heroin addicts, adding that Mason is currently serving prison time on drug charges.

Baumgartel also said because of his addiction Blair had previous run-ins with law enforcement and did not trust police, which explained why Blair lied to authorities when first interviewed about his possible involvement with Frank Stephens’ death.

Rings said Blair has changed his story several times about what occurred on April 2.

A good amount of time during the week-long trial was spent discussing the condition of Blair and Haught’s hands following the murder.

Photos showed Blairs hands were red with with scratches, bruising, and swollen knuckles, while photos of Haught’s hands showed no injuries, except for a scabbed-over older cut on one of his fingers.

Baumgartel said Blair’s hands were injured when he fell on railroad tracks while making his way from the Groves Avenue mobile home to the apartment on Third Street.

But Rings said the marks on Blair’s hands were consistent with those found on someone who had struck another person with their fists.

“Ira David Blair had marks all over his hands,” Rings said. “It’s impossible that Richard Haught could nave done all that damage (to Stephens) without any marks showing on his hands.”

But Baumgartel noted Stephens’ body was found lying on the floor and the injuries were likely inflicted by someone kicking him.

Blair testified Thursday that he had witnessed Haught hitting Stephens the night of the murder. Blair said he got between the two and tried to stop the fight, but was struck on the side of the head (apparently by Haught) and fell to the floor.

Blair said Frank Stephens was still alive when he left the mobile home and headed for Third Street.

But Rings told the jury Friday that all evidence collected after the murder pointed to Blair as Stephens’ killer.

“If you apply your common sense, the evidence supports the conclusion that Ira David Blair was responsible for the death of Frank Stephens,” he said.