Glenwood Springs murder defendant Trevor Torreyson took the stand Monday in his own defense, subjecting himself to questioning about evidence that allegedly ties him directly to the June 2018 beating death of Keith Wayne.

Torreyson, who is representing himself and has indicated he thinks he was framed, had no further witnesses to call at the end of the day; his defense riding on what he claimed were inconsistencies and gaps in evidence collected by police investigators and presented against him at trial.

After taking a scheduled day off in the trial Tuesday, closing arguments are anticipated Wednesday morning before the case is handed over to the jury for deliberation.

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Under questioning by Assistant 9th District Attorney Ben Sollars Monday, Torreyson denied the bloody boots found by police at his encampment where he was arrested the night of June 20, 2018 after Wayne’s badly beaten body was found near a West Glenwood car dealership earlier that day belonged to him.

“I’m not that bow-legged,” Torreyson said of the wear pattern in the boots, which were found along with blood-stained clothing in Torreyson’s camp.

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Both Wayne, who was 56 at the time, and Torreyson, now 46, were experiencing homelessness at the time of the incident, and were camping in the woods on either side of the Colorado River in West Glenwood, according to court documents.

Police arrested Torreyson in connection with the murder after police said bloody footprints on a sidewalk near the scene of the incident led in the direction of his camp.

A bandanna found near Wayne’s body was also known from previous police encounters to belong to Torreyson, said investigators who testified in the trial.

Torreyson has remained in the Garfield County Jail on $1 million bond since his arrest, charged with first-degree murder.

Following disputes with defense attorneys assigned to represent him, Torreyson decided in September 2020 to represent himself.

On the stand Monday, Torreyson admitted he was drinking vodka with Wayne at a picnic table behind the Subaru dealership the night of June 19, 2018, but said he left to go back to his camp after Wayne “passed out” on the table.

“I never touched Keith,” he said at one point during Monday’s proceedings.

However, blood on Torreyson’s clothes was allegedly Wayne’s, according to DNA evidence presented by prosecutors in the trial.

Video evidence from a nearby liquor store also put the two together that night, and comments allegedly made to police by Torreyson supported that, investigators said.

Torreyson responded to questioning that Wayne could be “amusingly annoying and obnoxious” at times, but that wasn’t any reason to kill him.

“Everybody has a beef with Keith. That’s why everybody drinks and hangs out with him,” he said under questioning by Sollars.

Lacking an alibi, evidence of an alternative suspect or a self-defense claim, Torreyson’s defense has hinged on what he claims was missing video and other questionable evidence in the case.

The trial began on Feb. 24 and was scheduled through the end of this week.

Senior Reporter/Managing Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or jstroud@postindependent.com.