GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — During opening arguments Wednesday, the defense team for Joanna Hayes, the woman accused of gunning down her daughter-in-law in a Target parking lot, said multiple witnesses claim a man shot the victim, not Hayes.
"It was not her in the parking lot that day," defense attorney Bruce Morris said.
Prosecutors said the victim, Heather Strube, 25, of Snellville, was in a divorce and custody battle with Hayes' son, Steven Strube.
Channel 2's Jeff Dore said during opening arguments, the state said the defendant was wearing a wig and that they found "a fiber consistent with a wig" in her truck.
Opening statements were briefly delayed as lawyers squabbled over whether Hayes' mother and the victim's parents should be allowed to watch the trial. Some argued that they were subjected to sequestration as potential defense witnesses, but the judge eventually decided to allow the victim's parents in but not the defendant's mother.
Police said Steven Strube dropped off his son and seconds later, the shooter moved in. In an interview after the April 2009 shooting, Hayes told Channel 2's Mark Winne that she was innocent and loved her daughter-in-law.
WSBTV
