A Florida man accused of killing his adoptive parents broke down in court Wednesday during opening statements in Sarasota County.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Dima Tower, 24, is facing two counts of murder for the 2023 deaths of Jennifer and Robbie Tower. He’s also charged with fleeing from police.
According to Court TV, defense lawyer Marc Gilman argued that Dima, adopted from Ukraine at age 14, had a history of neglect when his birth parents did not “want to deal with him.”
While Gilman told the jury the difficulties he experienced while growing up in Ukraine, Dima put his hands over his face and began sobbing.
The judge called for a break and asked the defendant to compose himself.
Also on Wednesday, the prosecution described how Dima attacked his parents with a steak knife he retrieved from the kitchen, in August 2023.
The killings happened in the family’s North Port home, in the 1200 block of Mallicoat Road.
Prosecutors told the jury that Dima had considered killing his parents numerous times before finally carrying out the murders, ABC 7 reports.
During the attack, the defendant allegedly dropped one knife and retrieved another. He then began to stab his father, while Jennifer tried to defend her husband.
When Dima began attacking Jennifer, she fled, but the defendant found her at a neighbor’s front door and forced her back home, the prosecution said. He then forced her on a couch and stabbed her in the neck 38 times.
Neighbor Jana Walton testified that she woke up on the night in question, with Jennifer screaming at her door to call 911.
Police found Robbie and Jennifer stabbed to death in their home, both face down on the floor, after responding to a call from a neighbor who reported hearing noises.
Dima fled in a vehicle when police arrived, according to WINK News. Deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office used stop sticks to get the car to stop. They apprehended him after he fled on foot into a wooded area.
Officer Tyler Ragauckas with North Port Police Department testified Wednesday that dashcam footage captured the defendant driving recklessly, while eyewitness Melissa Snow gave a description of the defendant.
Meanwhile, records from the North Port Police Department and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office obtained by FOX 4 show multiple domestic violence calls involving Dima since 2018.
READ MORE: Dima Tower Murder Trial: Son Slaughters Adoptive Parents After History of Violent Assaults
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Tower family/Facebook]
