Sen. Robert Regola III's defense team called eight witnesses this afternoon and rested its case without putting the legislator himself on the stand.

Closing arguments begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow in Westmoreland County Common Pleas court.

Defense attorneys told Judge John Blahovec that the witnesses they presented over the span of roughly 40 minutes were all they had.

Mr. Regola, 45, R-Hempfield, is on trial for perjury, false swearing, reckless endangerment and providing a firearm to a minor. The charges stem from the suicide in July 2006 of Louis Farrell, the senator's 14-year-old neighbor, with Mr. Regola's 9 mm handgun.

State troopers have said Mr. Regola told them that his son, Bobby, had the handgun in his bedroom at some point before Louis died. But the senator said at a coroner's inquest that Bobby never had the firearm in his room.

The defense used its first witness to combat the perjury charges. Greensburg police Chief Walter Lyons testified that Mr. Regola told him prior to Louis' death that he was bringing a 9 mm gun home from his office and storing it in his bedroom because of concerns about someone camped in the woods behind his house.

The chief said the two were orginally discussing legislative matters when the talk turned toward Mr. Regola's gun.

Seven other people served as character witnesses for Mr. Regola, including his pastor, a life insurance agent, Greensburg's city planner and a retired Greensburg police officer. They all portrayed Mr. Regola as honest.

Another character witness was H. James Towey, president of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, who spoke of a million-dollar grant Mr. Regola helped obtain for the Fred Rogers Center. Mr. Towey said he has known the senator only since 2006.

Prosecutors finished presenting their case by putting Louis Farrell's mother, Lauren Farrell, and the family's housekeeper on the stand. Their appearances followed this morning's testimony by Mr. Regola's brother-in-law, who said the senator gave Bobby a 9 mm handgun and a box of shells for Christmas in 2003 when the boy was 14.

"I was very surprised. It's not an appropriate gift for a child of that age," David Depetris of Latrobe said.

Mr. Depetris also testified that he taught Bobby how to take apart and clean the gun.

Mr. Depetris' statement about the gun, which he said was Bobby's favorite Christmas present that year, seemed to bolster the prosecution's efforts to prove that the senator provided a firearm to a minor, one of the crimes with which he is charged.

Mr. Depetris testified that after Louis' death, Mr. Regola gave him eight to 10 loose shells from the handgun. Mr. Depetris, a gun owner who has his own 9 mm pistol, said he shot some of the shells.

On direct examination by the prosecution, Mr. Depetris said he waited until this year to come forward to authorities out of loyalty to the family. He said Mr. Regola and his relatives no longer speak with him since the failure of his marriage. Mr. Depetris is legally separated from Mr. Regola's sister, Brenda.

Defense attorney Charles Porter Jr. did not challenge Mr. Depetris' story about the gun being given to Bobby. Instead, he took aim at Mr. Depetris' motivations.

Mr. Depetris said he went to police with the story about the gun within days of his estranged wife obtaining a protection-from-abuse order in April.

Mr. Porter asked Mr. Depetris about returning the couple's 2-year-old daughter to Mrs. Depetris after visitation prior to the PFA being filed along with a bib that read, "I'll get even."

Mr. Depetris said it was possible he could have written the message.