Figliola murder trial begins

Maria Figliola’s first degree murder trial began today in Hamilton.

She is accused of hiring a hitman to kill her husband in 2001. Today the jury got instructions from the judge, and then they heard an opening summary from crown prosecutor Todd Norman, who told them this case has been tried before, but they shouldn’t try to speculate about what happened.

Maria Figliola covered her face and tripped a couple of times as she tried to run from CHCH News cameras as she left the courthouse.

The crown started off by holding up a picture of her late husband, saying that Frank Figliola, 49, was worth more to his wife dead than alive. She had a lover that she met online and he was planning to leave her, but before he could, Norman said, she had him killed because she stood to collect far more money from him that way.

On August 6, 2001, Figliola was found beaten to death with a blunt instrument, his body left near a walking trail in Stoney Creek near the couple’s home.

Crown prosecutors say they have wire taps, Frank Figliola’s secret diary, and many witnesses to support their theory.

The trial continues tomorrow morning but it’s expected to last three months. Justice Alan Whitten says he hopes to finish by the end of June.

Editor’s Note: The headline was modified April 10, 2013.