The trial of a B.C. teacher accused of murdering his pregnant wife has ended, with defence lawyers arguing that prosecutors have failed to present a convincing case.

Mukhtiar Panghali's wife Manjit was four months pregnant with her second child when she disappeared on Oct. 18, 2006. Her burned corpse was discovered on a Delta beach a few days later, and her husband was charged with the murder after a five-month investigation.

On Friday, defence lawyer Michael Tammen called the absence of evidence against his client "staggering."

The lawyer referenced a question asked by CTV News at the beginning of the trial: If Panghali didn't kill his wife, who did?

Tammen told the judge that it's not up to the court to answer that question. The court's job is to decide if the Crown has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Panghali murdered his wife, and the defence says that hasn't happened.

On Thursday, Crown prosecutors argued that Panghali's behaviour in the days after his wife's disappearance -- as well as inconsistencies in his statement to police -- should serve as proof that he violently murdered her.

The Crown alleges that Panghali tried to create the impression that he was concerned about his missing wife, while lying about his whereabouts and covering up the crime. Prosecutors said that he inundated police with calls suggesting possible suspects.

In an off-camera interview recorded by CTV News in 2006, Panghali pointed to one of Manjit's brothers as the culprit.

"I have seen him be violent towards his brother, his sister, his father and his mother -- everybody. The only one who ever stood up against him was my wife," he said.

The defence argued that there is no guide book for how a husband is supposed to react when his spouse disappears. Tammen said that Panghali didn't want to make a big deal about his wife's disappearance because she had left the home before.

Tammen also dismissed testimony that Panghali was the man seen on a gas station surveillance video buying a lighter the night his wife disappeared. The defence says that the turban of the man in the video was tied in a different way from Panghali's.

The defence is arguing for acquittal, but says that if the judge finds that Panghali killed his wife, the conviction should be for manslaughter, not second-degree murder.

The judge will deliver her decision in January.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington