Prosecution rests in trial of former Wake County teacher accused of killing husband
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The state rested its case Tuesday against a former Wake County teacher on trial in the 2013 murder of her husband.
Joanna Madonna has since claimed it was self-defense and now could take the stand as early as Wednesday.
RELATED: Daughter: Mom returned home after murder hot, sweaty
Madonna claims she killed her husband, Jose Perez, in self-defense when she asked him for a divorce. But Perez's doctor took the stand and told the court that he was too frail and sickly to hurt anyone.
Perez's daughter also took the stand Tuesday. Vanessa Gantt backed up what the doctor said and told the court that she noticed her father was getting weaker during the last few years of his life.
She also testified to receiving text messages from her father's phone on the night that he was killed.
"Yes, June 15th, I received a text message from his phone between eight and nine o'clock that night stating the he was leaving and going to Florida and he does not have his phone but he will contact me when he gets there," Gantt testified.
She told the court this was odd because according to her, her father would not have left the state without his phone or without saying goodbye to his family.
Gantt testified she then received a text from her father's wife, Joanna Madonna, claiming that Perez, a recovering alcoholic, had fallen off the wagon.
"I received a text message from her saying that he was drinking and hanging out with people that were doing drugs and that he needed to leave," said Gantt.
Gantt said she didn't believe what Madonna was telling her and ended the conversation. It wasn't until a detective called later with news that her father was no longer alive. Earlier Gantt also testified that she never saw her father become violent and that it was usual for him to choose to back away from confrontation.
The first witness the defense called to the stand was Dr. Sandra Zinn. Zinn counseled Perez and sometimes both Perez and Madonna. Court ended before Zinn's testimony concluded, but she did tell the court that Perez had problems with money and in his relationship with Madonna. She also described Perez to the court as a "passive" man.
Testimony resumes Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
