HARTFORD – The jury enters its second day deliberating the fate of Tiffany Stevens who stands accused of hiring a hit man to kill her estranged husband.
On Thursday, the jury asked one question about the time frame of the crime and when Stevens allegedly paid off the man she hired to kill her ex-husband. The jury also wanted to rehear testimony from Dr. Seth Feuerstein, who analyzed Stevens. In his testimony last week, Feuerstein said, “She seemed like she might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or what’s called acute stress disorder.”
The case relies on an audio recording on which Tiffany is allegedly heard telling a handyman, McDaid, to kill her ex, Eric Stevens.
McDaid also testified that Tiffany Stevens gave him $5,000 to kill EricThe defense wrapped up their case on Monday, but the judge gave the jury the day off on Tuesday due to the weather.
In his closing argument, Santos said the state’s case hardly reaches the threshold of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” He pointed inaudible portions of the recording, as well as the lack of any physical evidence that $5,000 was given to McDaid. “There’s no record of her withdrawing $5,000,” Santos said.
Santos also painted his client as a vulnerable, drug addicted woman, who may have been too impaired to intend to kill her former husband.
“Listen to the tape. She’s desperate, desperate to get drugs. Who is her supplier? John McDaid,” he said.
Tiffany Stevens’ parents are trying to get custody of her’s and Eric Steven’s 9-year-old daughter.
Diana Rabbani and Edward Khalily, Tiffany’s parents, filed a motion to intervene for custody of their grandchild with the family court on Dec. 5. Currently, Tiffany has custody of the child, but Eric has been fighting her in court over the issue.
Both Rabbani and Khalily are listed as intervenors and parents of Tiffany Stevens in court records.
