Jury Deliberations Expected In Man Charged With Murdering Wife
Joan Murray
South Florida Crime
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CORAL SPRINGS (CBSMiami) – Jury deliberations are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in the trial of a man accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in a lake.
On Wednesday morning, 67-year-old Munawar Toha decided he will not testify at the trail. Closing arguments finished before noon.
The jury is scheduled to be back from lunch at 1:15 p.m. top begin their deliberations.
Prosecutors wrapped up their case against Toha on Tuesday afternoon.
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Toha is charged with killing his wife Surya in 2010 after he made a televised tearful plea for her safe return when he claimed she disappeared.
Prosecutors have surveillance video of man pushing a car into a lake behind an industrial park on Powerline Road in Pompano Beach before taking off on a bicycle.
A short while later, Toha showed up at a friend’s house riding a bicycle. Investigators eventually saw the surveillance footage and found the submerged car. Surya’s body was inside. She died from multiple blows to the head.
In court Tuesday, however, a prosecution witness said a key piece of DNA evidence failed to incriminate Toha.
DNA expert Christopher Comar said while Surya’s blood and DNA were found on numerous pieces of evidence, none of the DNA found on the tape used to bind a plastic bag over her head belonged to Toha.
Toha’s defense attorney Martin Fein argued that if his client didn’t handle the tape, who did?
Prosecutors ended their case by calling up a lead detective in the case and an undercover Fort Lauderdale Police detective who said Toha tried to hire him to kill four witnesses who were planning to testify against him in the case. In a recording of their conversations, Toha is heard saying “I need to clean house.”
Toha was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder two years ago and is already serving 30 years for it.
A letter written by Surya was also shown in court. The letter described her fear that she was going to be killed.
If Toha takes the stand Wednesday, prosecutors will be allowed to tell jurors he was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
If he’s convicted in this case, he faces life in prison.
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