An American man is set to go on trial for murdering his wife after his son discovered the remains of his mother in the garden – two decades after he told police he witnessed the killing.
Michael Haim, 52, appeared in a Florida court on Monday where a jury was selected for his murder trial.
Aaron Fraser, 29, was three years old when his mother Bonnie Haim disappeared. At the time he told authorities that his "daddy hurt mommy", the Florida-Times Union reported, but police found no physical evidence to tie his father to the crime.
Even Bonnie’s family doubted Aaron’s version of events. "He’s said a couple of things that we know were not true. ‘Mom’s car is in the lake.’ We know her car wasn’t there," Robert Pasciuto, Bonnie’s father, told television series Unsolved Mysteries in 2010.
The toddler also stated that ‘Daddy shot Mommy,’ ‘Daddy placed Mommy in timeout,’ and ‘My daddy could not wake her up,” a police arrest affidavit stated.
Aaron was later adopted by another family and took their last name. In 2005 he was won a $26.3 million settlement after filing a wrongful death lawsuit against his biological father which included ownership of his childhood home.
In December 2014, he began renovating the property in Jacksonville, Florida and discovered his mother’s remains as he demolished the swimming pool in the backyard.
Mr Haim had claimed his wife Bonnie had walked out after an argument when she disappeared in January 1993 but did not alert the police.
Detectives were only told about her disappearance when a maintenance worker found her purse in a hotel dumpster and called police. Officers later discovered her abandoned car near Jacksonville airport.
Mr Haim was arrested in 2015 after police confirmed the remains belonged to his wife. A spent shell casing found buried by the corpse was the same type of caliber as a rifle that Michael owned, the police report stated. He was officially charged with his wife’s murder in August 2015.
Mr Haim has maintained that he was not involved with his wife’s death. His lawyers had unsuccessfully petitioned the court to block Aaron’s statements from 1993, arguing the boy had been contradictory. He is expected to relaying his memories from when he possibly witnessed his mother’s death as a three-year-old as well as his discovery of her remains in 2014 during this week’s trial.
"We will keep positive thoughts for a competent jury that will hear the truth and make the best decision they can," Mrs Haim’s family said yesterday on a Facebook page dedicated to her memory.