ORLANDO, Fla. — A millionaire developer who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his wife appeared in court Tuesday morning to ask a judge to grant him a new trial.
Attorneys for Bob Ward, 67, presented arguments to Judge Jenifer Davis that Ward’s constitutional right to remain silent was violated during his 2011 trial.
They previously submitted a 400-page motion arguing that Ward's former attorney made mistakes by allowing prosecutors to submit evidence about what he said before and after his wife, Diane, was shot in the bedroom of their Isleworth mansion in 2009.
They argued in court Tuesday that the state was able to convict Ward because his previous lawyer, Kirk Kirkconnell, failed to object and move to a mistrial. Kirkconnell died of cancer in 2012.
State Attorney Ken Munnelly argued that the case shouldn’t be retried because many of the arguments defense attorneys presented were already argued in federal court, an appeal that was denied in 2013.
Prosecutors called a lawyer who previously defended Ward to testify on the stand.
The lawyer said he had sufficient time to prepare for the trial and that he didn’t recall the Ward’s right to remain silent being violated.
The judge will make her decision once the state and the defense file written arguments, which is expected in several months.
WFTV
