The jury in the retrial of Bob Ward got to hear firsthand Monday the former millionaire’s account of what happened the night his wife, Diane, was shot and killed in the couple’s Isleworth Mansion.
- Bob Ward is on trial again in the 2009 slaying of his wife, Diane
- Defense attorneys argue Diane had history of 'just snapping'
- Spectrum News 13 jailhouse interview from 2011 played in court
- INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: Events in the Bob Ward murder case ▼
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Ward's exclusive Spectrum News 13 jailhouse interview given in 2011 was shown to jurors Monday during the former Isleworth millionaire's murder retrial.
It was the jury’s first chance to hear from Ward directly about what he says happened in the moments during and after his wife, Diane, was shot dead in their Isleworth home that year.
In the interview, Ward called the shooting accidental, as he tried to wrestle the gun away from his wife who was trying to take her own life.
Ward says in the interview that Diane had a recent history of “just snapping.” He said he walked into the room to find his wife holding a gun.
Jury also watched Bob Ward’s 2011 exclusive jailhouse interview with @MyNews13 - Ward says he did not intentionally kill his wife. pic.twitter.com/tvAdef1ip3
— Greg Angel (@NewsGuyGreg) February 12, 2018
“She was right behind me, holding a gun,” Ward told Spectrum News 13 in 2011. “I turned around and it was a split second, about a blink of an eye that I had to grab a gun and stop I don’t know what from happening.”
Mallory Ward, daughter of Bob and Diane, testified for the jury Monday. She said she and her parents had a loving relationship and was aware of her parent’s financial troubles, but she denied her mother was an out-of-control drinker.
This was a point also denied by Paula Saare, Diane Ward’s older sister who testified Wednesday. Mallory Ward and Paula Saare both testified on behalf of Bob Ward.
Before resting their case, prosecutors argued Ward intentionally shot his wife as pressure mounted from a business bankruptcy.
A crucial piece of evidence, the firearm, became a focal point of debate Monday in the courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse.
The State called a retired Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent, who specializes in firearms, to testify that the .357 magnum used in the shooting needed additional pressure to pull the trigger.
“It took some time. There was pressure. It’s a double-action, I had to apply some pressure to it,” testified retired FDLE Special Agent Yesenia Leon-Baron after conducting test fires with the gun.
Despite objections from the defense, the judge in the case also granted the State’s request to allow the jury to request to examine the gun in the jury room during deliberations.
Testimony in the Bob Ward trial Monday featured Ward's gun, which the judge agreed to let the jury handle in the jury room if they request it. (Spectrum News 13)
“We fear jurors are going to be back there playing Mr. Ward, playing Mrs. Ward, playing distances, and playing with the gun,” a defense attorney said.
After the state rested, the defense team filed a motion asking for the case to be tossed out, saying the state failed to meet their burden of proof.
The judge denied that motion, saying there is enough evidence and testimony to allow the case to move forward.
The defense team then called Dr. Sally West, Diane Ward's personal doctor, to the stand in Ward's defense, to testify about Diane's personal medical history.
Ward's defense team is expected to rest its case by Wednesday afternoon.