SALEM, Ore. — A Keizer man is in court again for a new trial in the fatal shooting of his wife at their home in 2011.
The Statesman Journal reports the trial of Peter Zielinski began Tuesday in Marion County Circuit Court.
Zielinski pleaded guilty in 2013 to killing 38-year-old Lisa Zielinski. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
But four years later, the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned his conviction and sent the case back to court, ruling the trial court erred in excluding expert testimony of Peter Zielinski's anxiety disorder diagnosis. His attorneys had claimed the testimony supported an extreme emotional disturbance defense.
Defense attorney Aaron Jeffers on Tuesday argued Zielinski entered a state of desperation at the time and was unable to control his emotions and actions.
Prosecutors argued the defense would offer excuses but no reason for her death.
Information from: Statesman Journal
