Jury dismissed for the day in Essa trial

CLEVELAND - The second day of deliberations in the trial of a doctor accused of killing his wife by lacing her calcium capsule with cyanide wrapped up Wednesday afternoon. The jury will resume deliberations at 9:15 a.m. Thursday.

Dr. Yazeed Essa, 41, is on trial in the 2005 death of his 38-year-old wife, Rosemarie. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with parole possible after 20 years.

Prosecutors argued that the defendant was determined to escape a loveless marriage. The defense suggested that a mistress of the doctor might have killed the victim and wanted to marry him. 

Essa was an emergency room doctor at Akron General Medical Center and fled to Lebanon after his wife's death. He gave up an extradition fight and was returned from Cyprus to Ohio last year.