Bob Ward, Convicted of Murdering Wife, Gives Jailhouse Interview Saying Jury Didn't Understand What Really Happened

Oct. 21, 2011 — -- James Robert "Bob" Ward, the millionaire Florida developer convicted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting his wife, said in a jailhouse interview that he didn't think the jury realized what really happened the night Diane Ward died.

Clad in a dark blue jail jumpsuit, Ward seemed to blame his defense for failing to convey an accurate picture of how the incident played out on the night of Sept. 21, 2009.

"She was on my side of the bed, right behind me, holding a gun," Ward told News 13's Jacqueline Fell on Wednesday from inside the Orange County Jail, where he is awaiting sentencing."And that's what the evidence showed, that she was right behind me holding a gun. I turned around and it was a split second -- I'm talking about a blink of an eye -- that I had to grab a gun and stop I don't know what from happening.

"For some reason, the jury didn't understand that and our side didn't get that across," he said. "And I mentioned several times during the trial to my attorney ... I said, 'I don't think they understand where Diane was when this happened.' So what was she doing right behind me on my side of the bed?"

Asked if he thought his wife was trying to kill him, Ward replied, "I don't know what she was thinking. All I know is she had a gun and I had to get it out of her hand."

He later added, "All I know is it went off. I don't know how it went off."

Ward could face up to life in prison when his sentence is handed down on Nov. 8.

He denied that he had been drinking or that he and his wife of more than 20 years had fought.

"The state will tell you anything they possibly can to put someone in jail, especially in this situation, which they call a high-profile situation," he said.

He was convicted last month of shooting his 55-year-old wife to death.

He admitted shooting his wife, but during the trial his defense called the incident a tragic accident. The defense said Diane Ward had a strong mix of alcohol and antidepressants in her system, and that she could have been suicidal. His attorney said Ward was just trying to save his wife when she was killed.

But prosecutors argued that Ward murdered his wife in a fit of rage inside the couple's Isleworth, Fla., mansion. She was killed just days from a scheduled deposition on a series of issues related to her husband's bankrupt company.

Prosecutors added that Ward, 63, initially admitted to shooting his wife, then changed his story to say she killed herself as he was trying to take the gun away from her.

In the 911 call Ward made -- which was played in court -- he could be heard telling a dispatcher, "I just shot my wife ... I just shot my wife. I just shot my wife. She's dead. She's done. I'm sorry."

While being questioned later, Ward told police, "I'm really concerned about my wife and children. I have two kids in college and it's a nightmare, but we probably need to go ahead and get a lawyer in here."

Ward's family has been supportive of him all along, even as his behavior in jail immediately following his wife's death invited intense scrutiny.

Detectives who interviewed him after the shooting noted that he seemed oddly composed. And jailhouse video captured Ward dancing and laughing with his daughter and sister-in-law.

Also shown on the video was his daughter telling him, "There's money in the account for you to get stuff, all sorts of goodies. You can buy a bra, so I was thinking you'd enjoy that, and hemorrhoid cream."

Asked by Fell about that behavior, Ward said, "When things are bad, you had better get your game face on. What good would it [have] done for me to be like some crying maniac over that camera to them?"

ABC News' Olivia Katrandjian contributed to this story.