TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - UPDATE: It's day one in the trial of Dr. Adam Frasch, the Thomasville podiatrist accused of killing his wife in 2014.
Prosecutors called their first witness Gerald Gardner Sr. He was cross-examined by the defense. His 17-year-old son was also called to the stand. They both testified they saw Samira Frasch at the bottom of the pool on February 22, 2014.
Gardner Sr. and his son who was 14 at the time were headed to do work at the home. He testified doing all their yard work and pressure washing on their home.
He told the court that Samira didn't answer her phone that day. He says he did not see a black SUV as he was coming in around 10:52 a.m. Her car was not parked in its usual spot. He rang the door bell three times. And walked to the back of the pool area where he found her dead.
EMS arrived at scene at 11:18 on that morning, but Samira Frasch couldn't be revived.
In opening statements to jurors, the defense asked at what time did she die.
"The issue is: "Are you convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that she was killed before 8 a.m. and by the defendant? The answer is no," said Clyde Taylor, Frasch's attorney.
Prosecutors say she died of blunt force trauma to the head and drowning.
"There is only one verdict in this case that will speak the truth and that is a verdict, guilty as charged," said Georgia Cappleman, assistant state attorney.
Frasch appeared calm throughout jury selection, opening statements, and testimony.
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8:00 - The trial for the Tallahassee doctor who was arrested for the murder of his wife has started today.
In February 2014, Adam Frasch was arrested in Panama City Beach where he was found with his two children just hours after his wife, Samira, was found dead in the family's home swimming pool.
Attorneys for both Adam and Samira said that the couple were going through a divorce at the time of Samira's death and that she had temporary custody of the couple's two children.
If Frasch is found guilty, he will not face the death penalty.
The state agreed to exclude it as an option for sentencing in exchange for a jury of six jurors instead of the typical 12.
WTXL will have wall to wall coverage of this trial all week.
