ORLANDO, Fla. — A jury continued to deliberate Tuesday over whether a man convicted of killing his girlfriend's daughter and dumping her body should get the death penalty.

Sanel Saint Simon was found guilty of murder, aggravated child abuse and lying to law enforcement in February in the 2014 death of 16-year-old Alexandria Chery.

Day two of the hearing got off to a rocky start when issues between the attorneys and the judge occurred.

Both sets of attorneys were supposed to finish proffering an expert witness and going over two depositions before the jury came in at 1 p.m. But when 1 o’clock hit, the attorneys were not ready.

“OK, I am going to have to send the jury home. We will deal with it tomorrow,” said Judge John Hest.  

Frustrated and angry, Hest reprimanded both the state and the defense attorneys.

“We are getting into matters we shouldn’t get into. This should have been done months ago,” Hest said. “Counsel, there is no excuse for this, period. On either side. Let’s get it done.”

After a ten minute break, both sides came to an agreement, and the jury was called back to listen to testimony.

Through an interpreter, the jury heard more recorded video of family and acquaintances of Saint Simon’s in Haiti.

“After Natalie was born, we lived a year and a half before he left,” said Jean Marie Marthe, Saint Simon’s ex-girlfriend.   

The state’s questioning for the witnesses painted a picture of a man disconnected from his family and friends. While the defense, worked to show the jury that Saint Simon grew up in an abusive, impoverished environment.

“Would your grandfather ever beat Sanel?” asked the defense.

“Yes, when Sanel would not work, when grandmother was not around, he would beat on Sanel,” said Myriam Saint Simon, a cousin.

The sentencing phase of his trial, before Judge Marshall Kest the Orange County Courthouse, began Monday, when family and friends of Chery spoke about the teen's life.

"By the grace of God, I had a sister who embodied love, joy and youthfulness," Fanzo Chery said.

Said Peter Saint Fleur, a cousin: "She didn't just care for herself, she cared for others as well."

The same jury that convicted Saint Simon is deciding whether to recommend he receive life in prison or death.

Chery was last seen alive in July 2014 at her home in the Hawthorne Grove Apartments, off Good Homes Road near Old Winter Garden Road. Deputies named Saint Simon, Chery's mother's boyfriend, as the prime suspect in her disappearance.

Since Saint Simon was convicted of first degree murder, the jury is tasked with deciding whether to recommend a penalty of life imprisonment without parole or death.

The jury will come back Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.