On Wednesday, a three-judge panel could decide which version of events is true.
Schettino, who was the captain of the cruise ship when it crashed in January 2012, is charged with causing a maritime disaster, abandoning ship and multiple counts of manslaughter. The crash into rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio led to 32 deaths.
If convicted, Schettino could face 26 in prison.
A lengthy trial
The 19-month trial has featured testimony from Schettino, passengers, crew members and technical experts.
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Everyone who perished lost their lives as a result of the chaotic evacuation, he said.
Pepe defended Schettino’s decision to delay the call to abandon ship by nearly an hour.
“Stop for a minute to consider what would have happened if he had abandoned ship 1 kilometer from shore,” Pepe said. “There could be 4,500 dead, not 32.” (There were 4,229 passengers and crew on the ship.)
He also suggested that finding Schettino not guilty would actually be good for Italy’s image, somehow restoring it in the eyes of the world who have seen this case as an example of Italian ineptitude.
