Jurors returned to court on Friday morning for the fourth day of testimony in the case of a Bloomfield, Connecticut woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her ex-husband.
Tiffany Stevens, 39, of Bloomfield, is accused of paying John McDaid $5,000 to kill Eric Stevens in 2012 during a child custody dispute with $50 million dollars reportedly at stake.
While McDaid accepted the money, he went to Eric Stevens with a recording of the conversation and said he never intend to follow through, according to police.
Eric Stevens then went to police, who arrested his ex-wife.
Dr. Seth Feuerstein, who did the psychological evaluation of Tiffany Stevents, testified Friday. The judge questioned wording in his report that said Stevens did not likely actively intend "to have her husband killed." Commenting on the evaluation, the doctor said that Eric Stevens was attentive and sweet to Tiffany in the early stages of their marriage, but that the relationship later became "threatening."
He also said that Eric lost millions gambling, initiating the couple's move to Connecticut. Tiffany Stevens' stepfather also was on the stand and said he gave Eric Stevens $3 million to pay off gambling debts.
Tiffany Stevens was suffering from acute stress disorder at the time he did the evaluation and she has had a history since her childhood of falling easily into dependent relationships, Feuerstein said.
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The doctor said that Tiffany asked McDaid to get her pictures of Eric Stevens with cross-dressers.
Then Larry Chace, a pool caretaker for the defendent, testified that he had a conversation with McDaid about motorcycles and that McDaid said he was going to use money from Eric Stevens to pay for it. McDaid told Chace he was helping Eric Stevens "set up" Tiffany Stevens and that he had a recording to accomplish that task, Chace said.
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Tiffany Stevens has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and the jury will decide her legal fate.
The prosecutor claims that the fund worth millions is the reason Tiffany Stevens tried to hire a hitman and has rested its case.
On Thursday, the third day of testimony, Eric Stevens took the stand and his ex-wife's defense team tried to characterize him as an emotionally abusive gambling addict with disregard for his daughter.
"Did you communicate to her (Tiffany) that it was your fault that her mattress would be filled with blood?" defense attorney Hubert Santos asked Eric Stevens.
"In 2009, yes," Eric Stevens responded.
Santos also asked Eric Stevens about blowing up a Mercedes and BMW and stealing his ex-wife's jewelry to get insurance money.
Eric Stevens denied the allegations, but did admit to placing an ad on Craigslist with his ex-wife's phone number for people to call to set up sexual interactions, and also said he is writing a book.
Tiffany Stevens' attorneys are expected to lay out their own case today.
