Florida millionaire convicted of killing his wife
June 02, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Wrongful Death on Monday, October 10, 2011.
In this day and age, and in these financial times, wealthy people can have money troubles, too. But for the rich or poor, there’s never an excuse to take a life because of the stress or pressure of that sort of situation.
A Florida millionaire facing financial difficulties has been found guilty in the wrongful death of his wife, who was found shot to death in September 2009. He could face a sentence of life in prison for killing her.
The man, who lived with his family in an 8,000-square foot mansion in a posh neighborhood near Tiger Woods, was accused of killing his wife after an argument. The man had apparently lost money in his business, but was believed to have spent it on houses and cars. His wife was apparently killed just days before she was set to testify on the matter.
Investigators apparently found a broken wine glass and a wine stain on the patio, leaving them to believe the couple was fighting prior to the fatal shooting.
According to the Huffington Post, the man’s company had filed for bankruptcy a year before the wife’s death. It was also involved in a lawsuit filed by an insurance company that alleged he was profiting from the sale of subdivision lots.
The defense had apparently argued that the man’s wife was suicidal and he was trying to stop her from killing herself. However, jurors were more likely swayed by the 911 recording that was played at trial, in which the man tells the dispatcher, “I just shot my wife.”
Source: Huffington Post, “Bob Ward, Florida millionaire, convicted of murdering wife, Diane Ward,” Mike Schneider, Sept. 24, 2011
