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OTTUMWA -- The defense rested its case Friday afternoon in the First Degree Murder trial of Seth Techel.

Defense Attorney Steven Gardner ended his case about 2 p.m. Prosecutors declined to call any additional witnesses.

Judge Daniel Wilson dismissed the jury until 9 a.m. on Monday.

After jurors left the courtroom, Gardner once again made a motion to have Judge Wilson issue an order of acquittal.

Like a similar motion he made after the state rested, Gardner says prosecutors simply have no physical evidence connecting Techel to the murder of his wife Lisa in May of 2012.

Gardner argued that the state's entire case rests on the fact that Techel was present in the home when his wife was shot to death.

Prosecutors re-iterated their argument that Techel and only Techel had motive and opportunity to kill his wife, and that while their case is circumstantial; it is a strong circumstantial case.

Before testimony closed, Jurors once again heard from Brian Tate, the man the defense contends likely killed Lisa Techel.

The jurors heard from Tate himself via audiotape of the second interview sheriff'sdeputies conducted with him.

That interview occurred at the Tate home on May 30, five days afterthe shooting death of Lisa Techel.

The conversation is amicable between Sheriff's Deputy Don Phillips, Tate and his mother Mary Lou, jumping back and forth from the facts of the case tolawn care and even the Tates mentioning  Phillips' nice smile.

Tate again gives an account of the vandalism that happened in the months beforethe murder.

As the interview ends, Phillips asks Tate point blank if he had anything to do with Lisa Techel’s murder.

“If I was sworn a stack of Bibles in the court system I would still say I didn't do it. Because why. Because I was in bed asleep that night it happened,” Tate can be heard saying on the audiotape.

Also heard on the tape is a discussion between Phillips and Tate in Brian Tate's bedroom, in the basement of the Tate residence.

Tate showed deputies a variety of weapons he kept in his room and told deputies they were only for self-defense.

When Phillips returned to the stand after the tape was played, defense attorney Steven Gardner asked Phillips if he thought Tate sounded paranoid.

Phillips conceded that he did.

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