BANGOR, Maine — The final witness in the murder trial of an Ellsworth man accused of killing his wife on Christmas Day 2013 testified that he sold the defendant heroin in the month before the woman’s death.
Michael Bills of Bangor took the stand on the seventh day of testimony in the jury-waived trial of Christopher Saenz, 32, of Ellsworth on Wednesday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Bills was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony.
Saenz is accused of beating Hilary Saenz, 29, to death in their Central Street apartment while their two children, then 12 and 8 years old, were in the home.
He is charged with intentional or knowing murder and, in the alternative, depraved indifference murder in the death of his wife. Christopher Saenz has pleaded not guilty.
The jury-waived trial before Superior Court Justice Ann Murray began May 18.
Bills, who said he was released from rehab Tuesday, was the first witness to testify about Saenz’s alleged drug use. Bills said that he met Saenz in November 2013 through another customer who was a friend of the Ellsworth couple. He testified that he sold heroin to Saenz shortly before Christmas but was unsure of the exact dates.
The judge allowed testimony about possible heroin sales to Saenz between Dec. 21 and Dec. 25 but not outside that time frame.
Saenz admitted shooting up Subutex, an opioid substitute, in an interview with Maine State Police recorded Dec. 26, 2013, in the Central Street apartment where the family lived. The video was played for the judge May 20.
Subutex is prescribed for patients who cannot tolerate Suboxone, according to rxlist.com.
Saenz told detectives that he used the drugs to avoid becoming “dopesick” and experiencing the aches and pains of withdrawal, but they did not ask him about his use of other drugs.
After Bills testified, the state and the defense rested their cases. Closing arguments will be heard Thursday morning.
The prosecution is expected to argue in its closing that Saenz killed his wife in a jealous rage. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy testified that Hilary Saenz died of blunt force trauma. She suffered a brain hemorrhage and had 50 bruises on her body, Dr. Margaret Greenwald testified.
The defense will tell the judge that the victim suffered from an undiagnosed seizure disorder that caused her to suffer a brain bleed, defense attorney Jeffrey Toothaker said Wednesday after court recessed for the day.
In interviews with police after his wife’s death that were played last week in court, Christopher Saenz said he suspected his wife was cheating on him because there were incoming numbers on her cellphone that she couldn’t identify. Saenz admitted hitting his wife on Dec. 22, 2013, but consistently denied striking her on Christmas Day. He said that on Dec. 25, 2013, she suddenly fell forward and had a seizure.
Ellsworth police first visited the Saenz home shortly after 10 p.m. Dec. 13, 2013, after they received a 911 call from Hilary Saenz, according to the Maine State Police affidavit filed Dec. 29, 2013, in the murder case.
A recording of one officer’s interaction with her was played for the judge Wednesday. Saenz told police that she wanted her husband to leave their home but denied that he had hit or pushed her. The same woman who introduced Christopher Saenz to Bills, who was visiting the home that night, told the officer that Saenz had threatened to “knock [Hilary Saenz’s] teeth down her throat.”
Christopher Saenz left the home and returned the next day, according to court documents.
The judge is expected to issue a written verdict this summer.
Saenz has been held without bail at the Hancock County Jail since his arrest on Dec. 27, 2013.
If convicted of murder, Saenz faces between 25 years and life in prison. If the judge found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter — which Murray could do if the prosecution does not prove murder — he would face up to 30 years in prison.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.