Donte Curry, 42, accused of shooting to death Harold Von Harrington, says his music is getting him through the trial

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The jury was sent to deliberate late Thursday morning in the Donte Curry trial and a verdict is expected some time the same day.

But Curry, accused of shooting Harold Von Harrington, 26, in a murder-for-hire on Nov. 21, 2015 isn’t waiting quietly.

In an exclusive interview with WANE 15 outside the Allen County Courthouse, he argued that he’s innocent.

Curry said he didn’t know Harrington prior to the shooting and was released from prison a mere eight days before the homicide occurred.

Watch full video outside courthouse here.

Curry, who is out on a technicality related to court procedure, was standing at the corner of Clinton and Berry streets speaking with three friends.

“The case is made up. They manipulated two snitches to say whatever they wanted to say to try to get me incarcerated. I don’t know nothing about this case. I didn’t do it. I don’t know the man, Harold Harrington. We never had dealings, no intertwine. We never ran into each other, no Facebook friends, no nothing,” Curry said.

“I don’t got nothing bad to say about his family or whatever they trying to cooperate with these people, but I can tell you one thing about me. I ain’t do it. I don’t know nothing about this case. I only know what they presented to me and that’s it,” Curry concluded.

When asked how he planned to spend the day waiting for the jury’s verdict, he said he intended to work on his “gangsta rap” hip hop music.

“What I’ve been doing. Music, you know what I’m saying, taking care of my family,” Curry replied. “I do hip hop music… My handle is rap. We do gangsta rap.” His label is Slide Nation Entertainment under his own name, he added.

Robert Scremin, lead defense attorney, told the jury Wednesday morning that the case was built on the testimony of two snitches who exchanged their information for lighter sentences.

Patrick Davis, serving time on a federal sex charge in Tucson, Arizona, claimed he drove Curry to Central Avenue after Curry asked him for a ride. Davis said he thought Curry was going to buy a pound of weed from Harrington, but instead watched from his rear view window as Curry unloaded a 9mm at Harrington’s driver side window.

Davis said when he saw Curry shooting, he floored his car and took off, leaving Curry, who ran off and disappeared in an alley. Police arrived quickly and employed a K-9 officer to track the scent, but lost it after a few blocks, according to testimony from a Fort Wayne police officer.

On Dec. 2, 2015, Davis said he bought the murder weapon from Donte Curry while he was wired by the FBI. Shell casings recovered at the scene and projectiles forensically match the gun purchased from Curry, an FBI agent testified.

In closing arguments, Allen County Deputy Prosecutor James Posey said even if Patrick Davis and an Allen County inmate who testified he overheard Curry and Davis talking about the homicide while all three were incarcerated together, got time off their sentences, the prison time reduction didn’t warrant the threats and danger they face on the streets.

“Their hood pass is gone. It’s open season,” Posey said.

WANE will bring you the verdict as soon as it’s announced. The trial took place in front of Allen Superior Court Judge David Zent.