(HOUSTON) — The woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death with her stiletto heel claimed self-defense as opening statements began Monday in Harris County.
Ana Trujillo, 45, is on trial in the death of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dr. Alf Stefan Andersson.
During opening statements, the prosecution and defense painted different pictures of what happened the night Andersson was killed.
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Prosecutors say Ana Trujillo was out of control and stabbed Andersson at least 25 times, holding him down until he bled to death. The defense says Andersson was an alcoholic drug user who was drunk and attacking Trujillo, and she “did the only think she could do.”
neck,” according to court documents.
Trujillo, a mother of two who’s out on bail, has pleaded not guilty. She was acting in self-defense, her attorney, Jack Carroll, said.
“Stefan Andersson grabbed her, they started wrestling, he got on top of her and she couldn’t breathe,” Carroll said. “He got her in a hold.”
Trujillo’s lawyer is hoping to put her on the stand.
“I’m going to have limited time to try to get a jury to understand that although Ana has had problems in the past, she is a kind person at heart,” he said.
ABC News Chief Legal Affairs Anchor Dan Abrams believes the alleged murder weapon — the stiletto heel — is a major factor in the case.
“A stiletto heel is not what’s typically used to kill someone. It’s not a knife or a gun, it’s more of a self-defense tool, something you use because that’s all you have,” Abrams said. “The fact that the weapon was a stiletto heel tends to help the defense.”
Prosecutors will argue that Trujillo also smothered and strangled Andersson, trying to prove to a jury that she went too far, Abrams said.
“This is not an easy case for the prosecution,” Abrams said, “which seems to have already conceded that there was some sort of argument that led up to the killing.”
If convicted, Trujillo could face anywhere from five years to life in prison.
The trial is expected to last about a week. Stay with News 92 FM and News92FM.com for the latest.
ABC News Radio contributed to this report.
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Stiletto Murder Trial Begins with Self-Defense Claim [LISTEN] was originally published on news92fm.com
