Orange County millionaire Bob Ward stays in prison a little longer

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County millionaire once convicted of killing his wife will find out soon if he could get out on bond.

Bob Ward, 69, Isleworth, was found guilty in 2011 in the shooting death of his wife, Diane Ward. However, in February, a Florida appeals court overturned the second-degree murder conviction. The court found that his defense at the time made mistakes, like not objecting to some of the statements dealing with his right to remain silent.

While Ward awaits a new trial, his attorneys planned Thursday to ask the judge to have Ward released on a $100,000 bond; however a technicality prevented that from happening.

The motion for a bond hearing was granted last week, but Ward must be present in court. He's in Marion County, and there was not enough time for the sheriff's office to transport him to Orange County for the hearing.

Ward's attorneys want him to be released on a $100,000 bond. His attorneys argue he’s not a flight risk and will agree to wear a GPS monitor.

However the GPS monitoring system was suspended in 2013 after several suspects on GPS committed violent crimes and the GPS companies were never notified of the violations.

Bob Ward told investigators that he and his wife were arguing in their home in 2009 when a gun went off, hitting Diane Ward in the face and killing her.

"I just shot my wife, I just shot my wife,” Bob Ward said in a recorded 911 call. “I just shot my wife. She’s dead. She’s done. I’m sorry.”

Ward later told investigators that his wife pulled the trigger while he was trying to wrestle the gun away from her.

The court hearing has been rescheduled for July 27.

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