Jury begins deliberations in ex-Metro officer’s murder trial

Pamela Bordeaux, 60, has been out of custody since she was released on a $1 million bail shortly after the fatal shooting. Prosecutors argued that Bordeaux intentionally shot 32-year-old Sean Babbitt at the end of his hourlong visit with his 3-year-old son at Bordeaux’s home.

Bordeaux was a retired Metro officer who had served 23 years, and she had also spent four years in the Army.

After a six-day trial, jurors deliberated for about two hours on Tuesday, and are set to resume deliberations Thursday morning because of the Juneteenth holiday.

Although authorities have previously said Babbitt was shot 10 times, a medical examiner testified during trial that his body had 11 bullet entry wounds, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Fleck.

During closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors argued that Bordeaux was distraught because Babbitt had asked for a modification to the custody arrangement for his son.

Sean Babbitt’s ex-wife, Erika Babbitt, had full custody of their son, and Sean Babbitt had been allowed an hour of visitation each week at Bordeaux’s home for three years.

“What the evidence proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, is that Pamela Bordeaux acted as judge, jury and literal executioner in a custody matter,” Fleck said during closing arguments.

Bordeaux’s defense attorney, Erick Ferran, told the jury that the evidence supported his argument that the shooting was in self-defense. He said that the majority of the bullet cartridges were found near Babbitt’s body because Bordeaux had been “backed up” and that Sean Babbitt rushed her at the bottom of the home’s stairs.

“This is a justified killing, the evidence shows it,” Ferran said.

Ferran argued that Babbitt was still upset over his divorce with his ex-wife, and the newborn she had with her new husband, although prosecutors argued there was no evidence that Babbitt was upset over his ex-wife’s new baby.

Prosecutors showed the jury a video Babbitt had recorded of himself hours before he was shot, where he sang Elton John’s “Your Song,” and blew a kiss to the camera.

Fleck argued that Babbitt had no intention of attacking Bordeaux that morning and was looking forward to eventually having more time with his son.

“He has absolutely no reason, and he had absolutely no motive to attack her on this particular day in April,” Fleck said.

Fleck also argued that after Bordeaux shot Babbitt, she used one of his socks to manipulate the crime scene, moving cartridge cases. Babbitt was shot in the top of his head, in his back and in his chest, which prosecutors said showed that Bordeaux was not shooting in self-defense.

“Why were you told that this was a case about a frustrated and emasculated ex-husband when all of the evidence showed the opposite?” Fleck said.

Ferran argued that the state did not have enough evidence to prove their theory about the crime scene being manipulated by Bordeaux. He said that one of Babbitt’s wounds showed that he could have been lunging for Bordeaux and that she did not have a duty to retreat in her own home.

“It’s fantastic that Ms. Fleck asked you to use your common sense,” Ferran told the jury. “I’m going to ask you to do the same thing.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.