BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Brevard County man is on trial, charged with murder in the death of his wife, but defense attorneys said the woman wasn't slain, but died of an overdose.
According to prosecutors, there was nothing accidental about the death of Francia Vargas-Brevick, 56, who they said was strangled in the couple's upscale Heron's Landing home.
Defense attorneys maintain David Brevick, 52, didn't kill his wife, but said she suffered a grand mal seizure and died as the result of a cocaine overdose.
"What we believe the evidence is going to show is that the medical examiner in this particular case made a rush to judgment and looked for things that supported the police theory of what had happened," said defense attorney Greg Eisenmenger.
Prosecutors admit that both Brevicks had cocaine in their systems, but said that's not what killed Francia Brevick.
"She died of manual strangulation at the hands of her husband David Brevick," said assistant state attorney Greg Konieczka.
Prosecutors said David Brevick immediately tried to blame his wife's death on someone else when he called 911.
In the 911 call he told dispatchers that at least two intruders were in his home, hurting his wife.
"God, they won't stop hurting her. Hurry up. Don't! Stop it! Stop choking her!" Brevick can be heard saying in the 911 call, just before hanging up.
Deputies said when they arrived at the house they found no intruders, just David Brevick, his mother-in-law and his unresponsive wife. Francia Brevick was transported to a hospital where she died a few days later.
Brevick's defense team blamed the story about the intruders on a hallucination.
"The one thing that is clear through all of his statements, all of the time, all of the ramblings is that he did not do anything to hurt his wife," said Eisenmenger
The trial will resume Wednesday.
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