Man To Claim Self-Defense In Sword Attack Trial
(AP) PASADENA, Calif. It was self-defense.
That's what the lawyer for a Pasadena firefighter accused of hacking his wife to death with a samurai sword in their Rancho Cucamonga home says he'll claim at the man's trial.
Lawyer Winston McKesson outlined his defense after a judge ruled yesterday that prosecutors have enough evidence to try Michael Burton on charges he murdered his 35-year-old wife, Otilia, in July.
McKesson says Burton did not want to harm his wife, but was forced to repeatedly stab her to stave off her attack.
But prosecutors say there's no evidence of self-defense. They say details from the scene suggest the 45-year-old ambushed his wife as she walked through the door to her home.
Burton is scheduled to be arraigned on February 27th.