Orange County, Fla. — Isleworth millionaire Bob Ward is expected to be sentenced Monday after he was convicted of shooting and killing his wife.
Ward was supposed to be sentenced three months ago, but the defense requested a delay.
Ward could be sentenced up to 25 years in prison.
He was convicted of manslaughter in February for killing his wife, Diane Ward, in 2009 at their Isleworth mansion. That was the second time he was convicted.
A 2011 conviction was overturned by an appeals court, citing defense mistakes during his first trial.
The defense claims the evidence was mishandled, so it's impossible to tell who pulled the trigger.
Ward said in a 911 call that he shot his wife and that he was sorry, but he later told investigators she killed herself.
Initially, Ward and his attorneys thought he would go free after the second trial.
According to jail house calls Channel 9 obtained in March, Ward quickly changed his mind, following closing arguments.
Ward believed he was going to be found guilty and blamed the jury, saying prosecutors lied.
“I got a garbage jury, and then Jay gets up there and tells completely off-the-wall bull **** things at the very end,” Ward said in the recording.
Defense attorneys called Diane Ward's death an accident.
The Wards’ daughter, Mallory Ward, testified she talked to her mother three times the day she died and she had no indication anything was wrong with her mother.
"It wasn't 'Leave it to Beaver,' but nothing is. My parents loved each other," Mallory Ward said.
Medical examiner Joshua Stephany testified that the gun was at least 12 inches away from Diane Ward's face and that her eyes were open; suggesting there is no way she shot herself.
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