NEW LONDON – As the man accused of killing their daughter declined on Wednesday to take the stand, family members of murdered Norwich resident Casey Chadwick sat a few feet away experiencing a sickening sense of déjà vu.

Inside New London Superior Court, 47-year-old Jean Jacques stood up before Judge Shari Murphy and waived his right to testify in his own defense, bringing the proceedings closer to a conclusion.

Jacques, accused of stabbing 25-year-old Chadwick to death seven years ago, made the same decision not to testify during his 2016 trial, which ended with his conviction on a murder charge and a 60-year sentence later overturned by state Supreme Court.

For Chadwick’s father, Jeffrey Chadwick, and her stepmother, Wendy Deane-Chadwick, the retrial has so far been a 10-day ordeal that’s included graphic testimony involving their loved one’s death - all in a courtroom they’re sharing with a man they hoped never to lay on eyes on again.

The two sat through every day of Jacques’ nine-day trial in 2016 and are among the few people consistently in attendance this time around.

“There was a huge hype the first time, but I’m just numb,” Chadwick said.

Medical examiner:How did Casey Chadwick die? Medical examiner testifies in Norwich woman's murder retrial

When the state Supreme Court overturned Jacques’s conviction in 2017 on the grounds of an illegal search of his apartment by Norwich police, Chadwick and Deane-Chadwick said they learned about it from a newspaper article.

“I’m optimistic about the outcome this time – I have to be,” Deane-Chadwick said. “I’m not a strong person and this isn’t something anyone should have to go through one time, let alone twice.”

While Deane-Chadwick said she initially held out a faint hope Jacques would accept a plea deal and avoid a second trial, her husband said he fully expected the defendant would fight “tooth-and-nail” to draw the proceedings out.

Deane-Chadwick, who works for Electric Boat, said she’s better able to focus on the proceedings this time around, though the witness and evidence order has changed.

Chadwick murder:Jail mate claims Jacques told him he 'killed someone,' as trial nears end

“The first time everything was too fresh,” she said. “I’m getting more details, even from the crime scene videos – though I don’t want to look.”

That hyper-vigilance means casting glances at Jacques throughout the proceedings to gauge his reactions to autopsy photos and crime scene testimony.

“Depending on what’s being talked about, I want to see his expression,” Deane-Chadwick said.

“He’s cold,” Chadwick assessed.

The state Supreme Court ruling that determined a search of Jacques’ Crossways Street apartment, which turned up Casey Chadwick’s cell phone and a cache of cocaine, meant those items could not be represented to a new jury.

Jean Jacques' defense::Witness claims Casey Chadwick's boyfriend had blood-covered hands the night of her death

Chadwick, a mechanic with the Bove Brothers company in Oakdale said assistant state's attorneys Christa Baker and Marissa Goldberg - who did not prosecute the first trial -  have done an admirable job laying out their case without the benefit of that suppressed evidence.

“My first thought was that it was huge, them not being able to use that evidence,” he said.

Many of the same law enforcement witnesses that testified in 2016, including detectives, blood and cell phone experts and medical examiners, re-took the stand for the new trial.

Prosecutors allege Jacques showed up at Chadwick’s apartment on the night of June 14, 2015 and stabbed her to death before fleeing with the crack cocaine stored at the residence by Chadwick’s boyfriend.

Her body was found inside a living room closet with more than a dozen stab wounds. Police said Jacques was arrested hours later with cocaine he was trying to sell.

Norwich detective:Jean Jacques had crack to sell after Casey Chadwick's murder

The trial, which began on May 16, has moved ahead in fits and starts with frequent delays and discussions of motions outside the presence of jurors. On Wednesday, the jury was brought in nearly 2 ½ hours after the proceedings were slated to begin. Murphy, as she’s done several times in past days, thanked jurors for their patience.

“The first time around it was just bang, bang, bang,” Chadwick said. “It all went much more quickly.”

Deane-Chadwick, who knew Casey since she was an infant, recalled her stepdaughter as a lively, bubbly woman. She said Chadwick’s job as a certified nursing assistant in Norwich required her to frequently interact with patients suffering from profound memory issues.

“She loved seeing those same people every night and for them the meeting was always the first time,” Deane-Chadwick said. “And she would get so emotional when she lost a patient. She could get a smile from someone with just two or three words.”

Casey Chadwick:Who was Casey Chadwick? Murdered Norwich woman's boyfriend speaks in Jean Jacques retrial

“She saw the good in people, even if they were bad,” Chadwick said.

Jacques’ attorney, Sebastian DeSantis, rested his defense on Wednesday and closing arguments are expected to begin and end on Thursday. The jury could begin deliberations on Thursday afternoon.

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965