Woman denies infatuation with doctor charged in death of wife

CLEVELAND - The second woman in an Ohio love triangle says her affair with a doctor charged in his wife's cyanide death was casual, not an infatuation.

The testimony in Cleveland by Margarita Montanez came Friday as the defense tried to buttress its theory that she wanted to marry Yazeed Essa and might be his wife's killer.

Under cross-examination by Essa's attorney, Montanez said her on-again, off-again affair with Essa was casual, not an emotional relationship that might be a motive for murder.

Essa is accused of poisoning his wife in 2005. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in the death of Rosemarie Essa.

Asked by the prosecutor if she had anything to do with the death, Montanez answered, "Absolutely not."