Adam Kaufman, 36, charged with second-degree murder, made his first court appearance Friday before a bond judge.
He was arrested Tuesday night in the slaying of Eleonora ''Lina'' Kaufman, 33, who was found dead inside the bathroom of the couple's Aventura house in November 2007.
Kaufman is not immediately eligible for bail, but his lawyers can ask later for a hearing to determine whether he can be released before trial.
''This is a terrible tragedy for the entire family,'' defense attorney Mark Seiden said after the hearing. ``It is a further tragedy that Adam is charged with a crime that never occured.''
After 17 months of tests, the Miami-Dade medical examiner's office last week ruled Eleonora's death a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Her neck bore marks that investigators believe came from Kaufman's grip.
According to Aventura police, Kaufman said he had been asleep that night while his wife was out with a friend. When he awoke in the morning, Kaufman claimed he found his wife's body on the bathroom floor and called 911, telling paramedics he believed she had fallen and hit her neck on a magazine rack.
But Miami-Dade prosecutors say Kaufman's version is contradicted by physical and circumstantial evidence. They believe he was the one who was out all night and strangled his wife after coming home early that morning.
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