Bad Heart or Bad Husband? Florida v. Adam Kaufman

In November of 2007, Adam Kaufman called 911 and said that his wife Lina was unresponsive on their bathroom floor. By the time first responders arrived, there was little they could do and Lina had sadly passed away. At first, nothing significant came of it. Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Bruce Hyma conducted the autopsy, and listed her cause of death as "undetermined". That would all change 18 months later when Hyma changed the manner of death to "homicide". Adam was promptly arrested and charged with 2nd degree murder. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

Kaufman's defense team initially believed that Lina had suffered an allergic reaction due to a spray tan she had received the day of her death. As the trial drew closer, however, they pivoted towards a new theory: Lina had died from an undiagnosed heart condition. In May of 2012, the trial was ready to begin.

The Prosecution's Case

Try as they might, the prosecution didn't have a clear cut motive for Lina's death. There was no indication of any financial troubles or infidelity. According to everyone who knew them, they had the perfect marriage. Despite this missing piece, the prosecutors were undeterred. They didn't need motive to prove second degree murder, and they believed that the wounds on Lina's neck along with Adam's inconsistent stories would ultimately seal his fate.

The prosecution's case began with the audio of Adam's frantic 911 call on the night of Lina's death. From there, they called a variety of first responders who arrived to the scene and testified to a series of odd moments from the defendant. They claimed that in addition to crafting multiple different stories, the defendant had also lied about what he was wearing at the time of Lina's death. There also were numerous friends of Lina who testified that they had never noticed any signs of trauma or illness. At the crux of their case was numerous medical experts who testified that Lina's injuries, namely the marks on her neck and the burst blood vessels in her eyes, were consistent with being strangled.

The Defense's Case

The defense case primarily centered around two expert witnesses: forensic pathologist Michael Baden and former chief medical examiner John Marraccini. A major focus for the two experts was the condition of Lina's heart. There was some scarring that was discovered near her heart. Dr. Hyma did not believe that the scarring played any role in her death, but Baden and Marraccini disagreed.

Baden believed that the prosecution's experts were too vague in their findings. They might have said it was a homicide, but he felt that it was largely speculative on their end. In other words, they simply did not have the evidence needed to definitively rule Lina's death as a homicide. The biggest takeaway from Baden's perspective was the froth that came out of Lina's mouth at the time of her death. He claimed that this type of discharge primarily occurs during three events: drowning, overdosing on drugs, and congestive heart failure. The first two events didn't apply, which led Baden to conclude that it must have been heart failure.

Marraccini testified that he reviewed Hyma's notes but did not feel like the cause or manner of death was properly explained. He felt there were certain parts of the heart that were overlooked which could have explained Lina's sudden death. Marraccini testified that Lina's true cause of death was not strangulation, but rather myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart. This inflammation caused her heart to degenerate over time until it reached a breaking point. In addition, Marraccini testified that the injuries to Lina's neck were not consistent with strangulation, but rather positional asphyxia via a nearby magazine rack after falling off the toilet.

Moment of Truth

After eight hours of deliberations, the jury finally reached a verdict: not guilty. Adam's family hugged him and his attorneys while the prosecutors stared solemnly ahead.