After a few hours of discussion Thursday afternoon, a Hall County jury will return Friday morning for further deliberation on the assault and kidnapping case of Marquis Bonds.

Bonds, of Gainesville, is accused of threatening Imam Bilal Ali on Aug. 22 before allegedly abducting a 1-year-old child.

The jury listened to Superior Court Judge Jason Deal’s instructions after 4 p.m. Thursday before entering into deliberation. After 7:15 p.m. Thursday, the panel decided to return at 9 a.m. for further deliberation.

According to the indictment, Bonds allegedly attempted to take a gun out of a bag and threatening “smoke (Ali’s) ass.”

During closing arguments, defense attorney Blake Poole implored the jury to decide the case on the law and not on emotion. He claimed the prosecution’s case is relying on unreliable witnesses and throwing “spaghetti against the wall hoping something sticks” in the two charges of aggravated assault from the Ali incident.

Addressing the jury, Assistant District Attorney Juliet Aldridge said the two counts allow the jury to decide based on the evidence.

During deliberation, the jury asked the judge for clarification on the legal definitions of “kidnapping” and “false imprisonment.” False imprisonment is one of the lesser-included offenses at the jury’s discretion when returning a verdict.

A link connecting Bonds to two previous homicides in Hall was revealed Tuesday in court. In his opening statement, Poole said Bonds’ uncle Adrian Thompson was shot by Joseph Scott Williams in June 2013, and that Williams spoke with Ali shortly after the murder. Williams was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison.

Poole suggested some in the community suspected Bonds in the Aug. 6 shooting death of Ricko Bledson, 39, a member of Ali’s congregation. Police have not named a suspect in Bledson’s death.

In addition to kidnapping and aggravated assault, Bonds was charged with aggressive driving, theft by taking, interference with government property and possession of marijuana.