Alhimidi, 49, has pleaded not guilty in the case that evolved from being a suspected hate crime to one about a family that struggled while trying to straddle two cultures.
A man on trial for murdering his wife in their California home wept in court Tuesday as prosecutors told jurors they have evidence that proves he beat the Muslim woman to death two years ago.
Defendant Kassim Alhimidi wailed during opening statements, prompting a judge to briefly halt the proceedings.
Alhimidi is accused of killing his 32-year-old wife Shaima Alawadi on March 21, 2012, in El Cajon, a San Diego suburb that is home to one of the largest enclaves of Iraqi immigrants in the U.S.
No weapon has been found in the brutal slaying but prosecutor Kurt Mechals claimed that other evidence proves Alawadi died at the hands of her spouse.
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