Bob Ward Trial: Jury to Deliberate After Emotional Week of Testimony

Sept. 23, 2011— -- After multiple outbursts in court this week, millionaire developer Bob Ward chose to stay silent when asked if he wanted to take the stand in the trial where he is accused of shooting and killing his wife.

Diane Ward, 55, was found dead in the Isleworth, Fla., home she shared with the wealthy land developer in September 2009. Ward, 63, is accused of shooting her at point blank range.

The defense team has argued that a combination of high amounts of alcohol along with depression medication caused Diane Ward to become suicidal, leading her husband to grab the gun from her hand.

In closing arguments Thursday, Ward's attorney Kirk Kirkconnell presented the defense's claim – that his client was trying to prevent his wife from killing herself when the gun went off.

"We don't know if it was a suicide or not, and we don't know what her intentions were when she took that gun," Kirkconnell told the court.

Prosecutors disagree, and argue that Ward, in a fit of rage, intentionally shot his wife in the face.

"This is about a dead woman and the laws of the state of Florida," the prosecution said.

In an emotional week of testimony, prosecutors questioned Ward's daughter Sarah, who told the court Tuesday that she loved both her parents very much but also described her mother under the influence of alcohol.

"My mother threw a suitcase at me when she was drinking red wine," she told the courtroom.

Prosecutor Robin Wilkinson pointedly stated that Sarah Ward was not there when her mother "ended up shot in the face."

At one point during her testimony Bob Ward banged his hand on the courtroom table and put his head down. His daughter started crying after Wilkinson went through a line of questioning.

The courtroom drama continued on Wednesday when Ward grew angry over testimony about a life insurance policy on his wife -- arguing that the numbers mentioned were incorrect.

"It's not a ten million dollar life insurance policy!" Ward yelled in the courtroom.

While the jury wasn't present for both of his outbursts, they did witness one of them. Legal Analyst Bill Sheaffer says it's something that could resonate when the jury deliberates.

"The jury's going to believe he has a temper, and if he has a temper he's capable of shooting his wife during an argument," Sheaffer told ABC News.

The jury is expected to begin deliberations today, and there is a sizable amount of evidence to consider, including the deadpan 911 call made by the defendant.

On Sept. 21, 2009, Ward called 911 from the couple's home, telling a dispatcher five times that he had shot his wife in her face. Isleworth is a community that was once home to celebrities like Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer.

"She's dead. She's done. I'm sorry," he said in the 911 call.

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."

As the interrogation continued, Ward began to change his story, arguing that his wife actually pulled the trigger and committed suicide as he tried to take the gun away. Diane Ward had high levels of an antidepressant in her system as well as alcohol, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say that the Ward family's failing company, Land Resources, may have been the motive in Diane Ward's death. Attorneys wanted to depose Diane Ward for a series of issues with her husband's bankrupt company in the days before her death.

Ward allegedly transferred money to his wife to pay for cars, mortgages, trips to the Cayman Islands and Europe, tuition for their children and a life insurance policy.

If convicted, Ward could face more than 20 years in prison.