Not guilty verdict returned in Alex Fazzino murder trial

Alex Fazzino

At 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, Judge Michael Moon read the unanimous "not guilty" verdict in the first degree murder trial of Alex Fazzino.

Shouting and tears erupted from friends and family of the defendant, followed by some back and forth shouting between Emily Fazzino's family and Alex Fazzino's family.  Sheriff's deputies intervened to prevent any escalation.

41-year-old Alex Fazzino of Boone was charged with first degree murder in the death of his wife, Emily, on January 29th, 2012.  Her body was found in the bathtub of her home.
 
Prosecuting attorney Scott Brown (assisted by Boone County Attorney Daniel Kolacia)  filed a criminal complaint alleging that Alex Fazzino killed his wife.  Brown called witnesses to the stand who testified about the more than one dozen bruises found on Emily Fazzino's body.  The evidence, he stated, "keeps pointing back to Alex Fazzino."
 
But one doctor from the State Medical Examiner's Officer ruled the cause of death was "undetermined."  Another ruled more than a year later that Emily Fazzino's death was a homicide.
 
Defense attorney William Kutmus (assisted by Trever Hook) spent a lot of time calling witnesses to the stand to testify about Emily Fazzino's addiction to opiate painkillers. In one and a half hours of closing remarks, Kutmus pointed to the prosecution's medical experts and said they agreed a cause of death couldn't be determined.  "You just don't know" why Emily Fazzino died on January 29th, 2012, Kutmus said.

Members of Emily's family claim Emily went "cold turkey" in early December of 2011, with the help of her mother.  Defense attorneys say Emily still showed signs of addiction  in December and January.