JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A jury was seated Monday in Duval County court for the murder trial of Gerard Stewart, who is charged in the 2018 stabbing death of his wife of 20 years, Julie.
Opening statements are expected to begin on Tuesday.
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Stewart’s arrest ended a daylong SWAT standoff in the Sandalwood neighborhood, where police found his wife’s body in the trunk of his car.
Court records show that Stewart told his mother and a neighbor he killed his wife, who’d asked for a divorce. Court records also show that Stewart made incriminating statements to detectives. His lawyers filed a motion to have those statements suppressed, but it was denied.
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Stewart was indicted on first-degree murder, but it’s not a death penalty case.