'He Didn't Want Her to Live Without Him'

A man killed his fiancee in Temecula because he didn't want her to live without him, prosecution said during closing statements today.

Testimony ended Tuesday, and attorneys made their final arguments to a jury today at the Southwest Justice Center in the trial of Mickey David Beauchamp Wagstaff, 27, who was accused of kidnapping, raping and killing his 27-year-old fiancee, Elizabeth "Bipsy" Kellenbarger Wagstaff on Feb. 12, 2009, in a Promenade mall parking structure.

The suspect was accused of kidnapping his fiancee, keeping her tied up in his van for two days and raping her. To read about the accusations,

The couple's relationship was falling apart, and Wagstaff killed his fiancee because he didn't want her to live without him, prosecutor Jennifer Garcia told the jury today.

"He didn't want her to live without him, and he didn't want to live without her," the prosecutor said.

He believed Amirian would leave him but never be happy again because he betrayed her trust, Garcia said. So, he put her out of her misery.

Wagstaff thought, "If I kill her, she will be saved by the Lord, and everything will be OK," the prosecutor said.

He was a devout Seventh-day Adventist and an active member of his church in Murrieta. To read what friends and family said about him during testimony, .

An argument two days before the victim's death triggered the events leading to her death, according to Garcia.

The couple were in Palm Desert for a business meeting Wagstaff had to attend, and his van broke down on the way home. In the process of dealing with that, the couple argued about their upcoming wedding.

Later, parked in the driveway of a friend's house, the couple continued to argue, and Wagstaff punched Amirian at least once in the head. Amirian then tried to leave his van, but he held her against her will, Garcia told the jury.

That night, he raped the victim on a mattress in his van, where he was living at the time, Garcia said. "He knew she would never do it willingly after he punched her, "so he took it from her," the prosecutor said.

During the following two days, he tied her up several times, Garcia said. To read about what allegedly happened during that period, .

Wagstaff had Amirian trapped in his van with her legs tied together with the sleeves of a shirt when she was discovered by a sheriff's deputy, Garcia said. To read about how the victim was found,

When the officer approached the van, he knew Amirian would tell him about the attack, the kidnapping and the rape, and the officer would rescue her. Then, Wagstaff would go to prison, and Amirian would live without him, and he didn't want that, Garcia said.

"He took the book out of her hand and laid it next to her. He knew she did not see the officer," the prosecutor said. "He thought about what he needed to do before she realized (the officer) was there before she could scream, try to get out of the van, before she could bang on a window."

When the officer tapped on the window, he pulled a hunting knife out of the van's center console and stabbed the victim 39 times, Garcia said.

"His hair was tangled in her fingers as she screamed out, 'You don't have to do this. It doesn't have to be this way,'" Garcia said.

"He took the life of a happy, spunky, God-loving girl," Garcia told the jury. "I ask you hold him responsible for everything he did to her."