After a month-long trial, testimony by 30 witnesses and more than 200 pieces of evidence, the prosecution and defense yesterday presented two very different versions of what led to the fatal shooting of an off-duty deputy sheriff during a nightclub robbery.

Deputy city prosecutor Scott Bell, in his closing arguments, told the jury that John K. "Patrick" Lorenzo Jr. entered the Osake Sushi Bar and Lounge and shot Deputy Sheriff Daniel Browne-Sanchez after terrorizing employees, shooting at another man and attempting to rob the place.

However, Lorenzo's attorney, Walter J. Rodby, said his client was merely a pawn who never meant to hurt anybody and told the jury that his client owed a drug debt to "two thugs" who told Lorenzo the debt would be forgiven if he went into the bar and fired several rounds from the gun to scare employees there.

Closing arguments began with the prosecution.

Using a 50-slide Powerpoint presentation, Bell meticulously contradicted Lorenzo's claims and cited Lorenzo's admissions in court that he dealt drugs, used drugs, and went to the bar armed as evidence that Lorenzo intended to use deadly force.

"The person who put in motion the events that led to Daniel's death is here before you. The curtain has been raised on this defendant, a self-described drug dealer who has peddled poison in this community and more significantly, a murderer," Bell told jurors yesterday.

"A convicted, unpardoned felon made the conscious decision to dress in a mask, gloves and bulletproof vest and arm himself with a loaded firearm (before entering the bar). Do not allow the defense to lay the blame anywhere else but at the feet of the defendant."

Lorenzo's lawyer, on the other hand, cited Browne-Sanchez's .104 blood-alcohol level, and said had Browne-Sanchez not been "intoxicated" and tried to attack Lorenzo, his client would have continued to fire warning shots into the air and back out of the bar, "because Mr. Lorenzo did not intend for this to happen."

"Patrick fired warning shots in an attempt to ward off Mr. Browne-Sanchez. Patrick fired warning shots so he could retreat. Patrick fired warning shots because he didn't want the situation to escalate," said Rodby, speaking to the jury yesterday. "He did not mean for anyone to get hurt and he did not mean for anyone to die. He (Browne-Sanchez) was intoxicated, and this was a contributing factor to these events because he did not heed Mr. Lorenzo's warning."

Rodby said owners of Osake had refused to pay "protection" money to the thugs' criminal organization. The "two thugs" supplied the gun, bullet-resistant vest and mask that Lorenzo used during the crime.

Lorenzo was awaiting sentencing for a drug conviction when he entered the bar. Drugs that were seized from Lorenzo in that 2005 case belonged to the "thugs," who had accosted him at his job and home, demanding repayment from him, according to the defense lawyer.

They confronted him again the evening of the robbery when Lorenzo came out of a drug-treatment session he had attended several blocks from Osake, according to Rodby.

During his closing, Bell held up picture after picture of Browne-Sanchez's bullet wounds and told the jury that was all the evidence they needed to surmise that Lorenzo was a violent, drug-dealing, convicted felon.

"Just remember who is on trial here. Daniel is not on trial," Bell said. "This young man had his entire life in front of him and he laid down his life for his friends."

Lorenzo is facing 13 criminal charges including murder, attempted murder, robbery and kidnapping. He is accused of entering the bar at 3:12 a.m. Feb. 10, rounding up employees and firing shots, including at the feet of Brown-Sanchez.

The deputy rushed toward the armed robber, who shot several times, striking the deputy in the chest, neck and arm.

Despite being hit three times, Browne-Sanchez was able to tackle Lorenzo to the ground and a struggle for the handgun began, a police affidavit said.

Other people in the bar jumped in and wrestled the gun away from Lorenzo.

Browne-Sanchez, 27, was working at Osake as a bartender's assistant.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.