By Tom Zytaruk, Surrey Now

SURREY - The Mukhtiar Panghali murder trial wrapped up in New Westminster Friday with Justice Heather Holmes expected to deliver her verdict on Jan. 14.

The former Surrey teacher is accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Manjit Panghali, and then burning her body.

The Crown finished its final arguments on Thursday and the defence's were heard Friday.

Meanwhile, arguments will be heard Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court concerning applications from media outlets, including the Surrey Now, that are seeking access to court exhibits including Panghali's videotaped interviews with the Delta Police and Surrey RCMP.

On Friday defence lawyer Michael Tammen urged Holmes not to let the assumption of his client's innocence be outweighed by the Crown's inference of his guilt.

Tammen argued that the Crown's evidence is silent on the exact circumstances of the victim's death. The Crown's case, he said, relies only on the evidence of the pathologist who performed the autopsy that she died by manual strangulation.