Jury Selection begins in Ward Murder trial

Jury selection began today in the murder trial of Bob Ward, who is accused of shooting and killing his wife inside their Isleworth mansion.

Ward, of Windermere, is accused of shooting and killing his wife, Diane Ward, in 2009.  Although Ward initially told 911 operators that he shot his wife, he later claimed that she committed suicide.The medical examiner, Dr. G, ruled that the slaying was not suicide, in part because she feels it's unlikely women would shoot themselves in the face. Judge Jenifer Davis ruled, however, that the medical examiner cannot share her opinion with the jury unless an attorney specifically asks her what criteria she used to rule out a suicide.  Lead prosecutor Robin Wilkinson plans to show jurors several hours of video in which they say Ward altered his story about how his wife died.


Jurors will not see a video from the Orange County Jail that shows Ward dancing as he's talking to his daughter. 

Ward's attorneys have tried unsuccessfully to get several key pieces of evidence out of the trial, including jailhouse phone conversations between the millionaire and his family.
In one surveillance video, you see Ward joking around, seemingly happy and carefree. The judge did  allow this video into evidence.
Jurors will not be sequestered for the trial, which is estimated to last about two weeks. As of now, one juror has already been dismissed and others say that 2 weeks may cause hardships in their lives. 


The mansion located at 5277 Isleworth Country Club Dr Windermere, FL 34786is currently on sale for $2,000,000. Below are pictures on real estate websites.  The bedroom where the incident happened is not included. Apparently they have removed the picture since I have seen it before.