Jury continues deliberating wrongful-death lawsuit

After a weeklong trial, a Lowell Superior Court jury will enter its third day today of deliberations in the wrongful-death lawsuit brought against Steven Knight by the family of Marc Beauregard, Knight's former boyfriend, who was murdered in 2002.

The estate of the late Marc Beauregard, who was found murdered on Jan. 19, 2002, sued Knight claiming he played a direct role in their son's death.

Police say Knight was a suspect, but was never charged with the murder.

Knight, 21, wracked up more than $7,000 in credit charges soon after Marc Beauregard's murder during a vacation he and his new boyfriend took using Beauregard's credit cards. And Knight served time behind bars after he was convicted of raiding the dead man's accounts of $50,000 through forged checks.

While attorney Richard Ahern, who represents Knight, told the jury in his closing argument that his client acted foolishly, it doesn't make him a killer.

But attorney Michael Talty, representing the estate, argued that Knight was the only person with a motive to kill Beauregard and the only person to benefit from his death.

At stake in this trial is nearly $700,000 in life-insurance money. Beauregard made Knight the beneficiary of his life insurance, but the companies won't pay Knight if he loses the wrongful-death lawsuit.

Beauregard, 40, of Dracut, was found murdered -- shot twice -- in a park near the Robinson School on July 18, 2002. His body was found about 2 a.m.

the following morning.

When police notified Knight of the death at 6:30 a.m., Talty noted that Knight never asked how Beauregard died. Knight testified he assumed it was in a car accident.