A South Miami man who allegedly killed his wife and posted a photo of her body on Facebook appeared in court Wednesday for a hearing ahead of his March 17 trial.
Derek Medina's attorneys filed documents Tuesday asking a judge to grant them access to the victim's remains.
Medina’s attorneys want to independently test for synthetic ecstasy and other illicit drugs in the remains of Jennifer Alfonso.
Medina, 31, claims he shot and killed his 26-year-old wife in self-defense on Aug. 8 after she continually punched him and pulled a knife on him in their South Miami townhouse, according to his sworn statement to police.
The new court documents detail how capsules were located by the defense in a garlic supplement bottle in a kitchen cabinet in the couple's home. They say those capsules tested positive for synthetic ecstasy.
The medical examiner who did the autopsy did not report testing the victim for that drug. So now Medina's attorneys are asking to have access to Alfonso's blood, urine, tissue, hair and stomach content at the time of her death.
"We just filed the motions, and I will say that we're working with the state of Florida to see if we can resolve them without having a hearing," said Saam Zanganeh, Medina's lawyer.
"There's procedures for us to be able to have independent testing done of tissues or body fluids or anything that's relevant in a situation like this. So, we'll just stand, and follow the procedures in every kind of case like this," Zanganeh said.
According to a police search warrant, Medina took the knife away from his wife and put it back into a kitchen drawer before the shooting.
He repeatedly shot her at point-blank range as she may have been kneeling and trying to shield her face, according to the medical examiner’s report.
Medina admitted to posting the photo of his wife’s body and an admission on his Facebook page before he turned himself in to police, the warrant said.
Medina has not pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child neglect charges. He also faces a charge of shooting a deadly missile.
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His attorneys also say the surveillance video from the couple's home shows Alfonso acting erratically before, Medina says, he was forced to kill her in self-defense.
He is being held without bond.
