Trial of Mark Sievers, accused of planning the murder of his wife, begins Tuesday

Mark Sievers will return to court Tuesday morning, this time for the start of his trial in the 2015 murder of his wife, Dr. Teresa Sievers.

A jury found Jimmy Rodgers guilty of second-degree murder in Teresa Sievers’ death in October. But Peter Dennis, a trial attorney, said this case would be different.

There will not be a person who is accused of participating in the attack, Dennis told WINK News. “But somebody who’s accused of planning or masterminding the act.”

Dennis said that since Mark Sievers was out of town at the time of the murder, it is likely jurors will see more cell phone data as evidence. Instead of the crime scene and autopsy pictures that were frequently shown in Rodger’s trial.

Pamella Seay, a practicing attorney and justice studies professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, said we might learn about the relationship between Curtis Wayne Wright and Teresa Sievers in this trial.

“That’s going to be a difficult thing for a lot of people hear – Dr. Sievers was a much-loved woman,” Seay said. “So to dredge up so much about her personal life is going to be very difficult.”

Both attorneys told us that it is likely the state has tried to at least have a conversation with Rodgers about testifying in the upcoming case. Maybe work out a deal before his sentencing in a week.

In addition, both attorneys said a significant hurdle was who will be selected into the jury.

“We’re now having to find a jury two and half weeks after one trial concluded,” Dennis said, “with very similar the same issue.”