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PROVO — An Orem man accused of killing his wife last fall appeared in court for the first time Monday afternoon.
Conrad Truman officially heard the charges against him, which included murder and obstruction of justice.
On the night of September 30, 2012, Truman called 911, saying his wife, Heidy, had been shot. Prosecutors said that the death of Truman's wife was suspicious from the start.
Not only did Truman's story about his wife's death change from suicide to accident to being shot by an intruder, but forensic evidence at the scene pointed to murder, according to police.
Even though it took nine months for Truman to be arrested, prosecutors say police considered Truman a suspect from day one.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Craig Johnson said that "(investigators) were right on the ball. We were at the scene for several hours that day and morning, and have since gone back for further investigations. So, no stone has been left unturned."
Police spent months processing evidence at the scene and awaiting forensic tests before deciding they had a solid case against Truman, who was arrested on Friday.
"The state is confident we can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt at this point, otherwise we would not have filed," Johnson said.
Truman's sister and other family members came to court to support him, but would not comment beyond their assertion that he is innocent.
"We are very confident that once the facts in this case are presented, it will show he is innocent," said Truman's sister, who did not identify herself.
"We want to give them every opportunity to give Mr. Truman a fair and complete defense so the interest of justice can be served in this case," Johnson said.
Truman's family retained high-profile defense attorney Ron Yengich to represent Truman.
Prosecutors say it's likely Truman's defense team will leave it to a jury to decide if Truman is guilty.
Truman's bail set at a million dollars cash. His next court date is set for Oct. 28.
