SAN BERNARDINO -- The prosecution expects to rest its case Wednesday in the trial of an Ontario woman charged with murdering her husband during an argument.
Mia Joleen Gonzales, 36, is accused of shooting her husband at close range shortly after midnight on Oct. 27, 2007 in the couple's bedroom in the 1900 block of South Almond Street.
Abel Gonzales was shot below the chin in an upward trajectory. The bullet fragmented when it broke through his skull, and the fragments entered his brain, according to testimony today.
The 44-year-old state parole officer died within seconds of the gunshot, according to the San Bernardino County deputy medical examiner who performed Abel Gonzales' autopsy.
The deputy medical examiner, Chanikarn Changsri, was one of three witnesses called by prosecutors to testify today in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Deputy District Attorney Mary Izadi said she expects to rest her case against Mia Gonzales as early as Wednesday morning. After the prosecution rests, Mia Gonzales will have an opportunity to stage a defense.
In interviews with police, Mia Gonzales said she retrieved a revolver from a dresser during a heated argument with her husband about whether the couple should divorce.
She told police she discovered four months before the incident that Abel Gonzales was having an affair.
Mia Gonzales told police she slapped her husband, and he grabbed her arms to try to pin her down.
Though the couple's argument became physical, Mia Gonzales maintained she fired the revolver accidentally.
The prosecution sought to call Mia Gonzales' claim into question today in testimony from a firearms inspector from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Bruce Park said he inspected the revolver used in Abel Gonzales' killing, and found the weapon was fully functional, with no sign it could malfunction.
"We were unable to make the firearm discharge without intentionally pulling the trigger," he testified.
The other witness to testify today was Mia Gonzales' 19-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
Prisilla Garcia's bedroom was down the hall from the room shared by Mia and Abel Gonzales. The night of the shooting she said she heard them arguing.
She recalled that her mother said, "No more arguing. No more fighting."
Prisilla Garcia said her family lived at the home on Almond Street for about seven months before the incident.
She said her mother and stepfather began arguing after they moved into the home, and after the fights she would sometimes see bruising and other markings on their bodies.