Murder Trial Divides Family
Aug. 25, 2005 — -- A bizarre murder case is splitting apart an affluent California family.
The wife is set to go on trial for murder, charged with stabbing her estranged husband to death. She says she acted in self-defense.
One of the couple's three sons believes her, another says she's lying, and the third is caught somewhere in between.
Susan Polk, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying death of her husband, Dr. Felix Polk, 70. Felix Polk died on Oct. 14, 2002 -- the coroner said he had been stabbed 27 times.
Susan claims she acted in self-defense, that she was simply at the couple's $2 million estate in Orinda, Calif., to collect her belongings when her husband became violent.
"He came at me, as he had done before, and punched me in the face," Susan said in a jailhouse interview. She said Felix came at her with a knife, which she wrestled from him and then stabbed him in the side.
"At the end he stood up and he said, 'Oh my God, I think I'm dead,'" Susan said.
Susan left the home without calling the police, and the next day took her youngest son, Gabriel, out to lunch. Gabriel, who was 15 at the time, found his father's body later that evening.
"My mom killed my dad, come quick," Gabriel reportedly told the 911 operator. Gabriel is scheduled to be a key witness for the prosecution, but his older brother Eli, 20, stands behind his mother.
"I love my little brother and no matter what he says I will always love him, and hope someday we can get back together and be the best friends we were, but I have to hope that one day he will tell the truth," Eli Polk told "Good Morning America" today. "My mom never instigated anything physical, ever."
The relationship between Susan and Felix Polk began nearly 30 years ago, when Susan was just 15. She began attending therapy sessions with the noted Berkeley, Calif., therapist, then 42, because she was distressed over her parents' divorce.
