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Retrial underway for Isleworth millionaire accused of killing wife

Bob Ward is being retried for the shooting death of his wife.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Jury selection began Monday for the Isleworth millionaire who was once convicted of killing his wife.

Bob Ward was found guilty in 2011 of shooting his wife, Diane Ward, at the couple’s mansion in Orange County's Isleworth neighborhood in 2009.

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.

Ward was sentenced to 30 years in prison; however, in February 2016, a Florida appeals court overturned his second-degree murder conviction. The court found that Ward's former defense team made mistakes during the trial, including submitting inadmissible evidence.

The state told Judge Leticia Marques that Ward was offered a plea deal for manslaughter a month ago, but Ward turned it down. The plea deal would have put Ward behind bars for four years with six of the years as time served.

Ward has been charged with second-degree murder and could be sentenced up to life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.

Ward has been out on a $1 million bail since August.

Read: Judge sets $1M bond for Orange County millionaire awaiting new trial in wife’s killing

Channel 9's Shannon Butler is in the courtroom. Follow her on Twitter and watch Eyewitness News beginning at 4 p.m. for updates.