James Robert Ward is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife at their multimillion-dollar Isleworth estate.
Walter Pacheco
Sentinel Staff Writer
1:19 PM EDT, September 22, 2009
Investigators today charged Isleworth Country Club resident James Robert Ward with second-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife, Diane Elizabeth Ward, at their multimillion-dollar estate.
"I just shot my wife . . . she's dead . . . she's on the floor of the master bedroom," Ward told 911 dispatch operators at 8 p.m. Monday, according to the arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said it was a case of domestic violence, though they didn't provide many details. He is being held without bail at the Orange County Jail.
When deputies arrived at Ward's house at 5277 Isleworth Country Club Drive, the 61-year-old developer told them her body was in the second-floor bedroom.
Sheriff's deputies found Diane Ward, 55, on the floor and in a pool of blood.
She had a gunshot wound to her head, reports show.
Deputies confiscated a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum from the nightstand next to the couple's bed. Investigators did not confirm if it was the weapon used in the slaying.
It is unclear if the couple had an argument before the shooting. Investigators said they found broken glass and a spilled liquid on the floor of a back patio.
The Orlando Sentinel is searching for people who knew Diane Ward. Click here if you have information about the family you would like us to know.
A video on WFTV.com shows a red stain on the back of Ward's white polo when deputies escorted him into a patrol car.
A deputy asked Ward if wine or blood caused the stain, but Ward replied that he wanted to talk to his attorney before saying anything else.
Despite his previous comments to dispatch operators, Ward later tried telling deputies a different story.
Investigators at Ward's house overheard him telling someone over the phone that his wife had killed herself. He also told a deputy that he had tried taking the weapon away from her.
Court records show Ward is a former chairman and founder of Land Resource, an Orlando-based community development company that filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2008.
The company closed six sales offices in five states and laid off 70 people.
Its $15.6 million in assets were auctioned off in January.
Court records show the house in the tony Isleworth Country Club neighborhood of multimillion dollar mansions and celebrity residents is in foreclosure.
Orange County Property Appraiser records show Ward purchased the home in February 2007 for $4.3 million.
The 8,858-square-foot mansion is valued at $3.5 million. A real estate agency's Web site shows the home is listed for $5.2 million.
As of July, Ward owed $3.6 million on his home. Wachovia Mortgage Corp. was in the process of foreclosing, according to court records.
He had not paid the monthly mortgage payment of $16,841 -- an amount that includes principal and interest -- since September 2008, records show.
The case is still pending in court.
A profile of Ward on Land Resource's old Web site says he has been a "leader in residential real estate development and mortgage banking" for 30 years.
"Prior to founding Land Resource, Bob was President of the Eastern Division of the Bluegreen Corporation, a major developer and operator of timeshare resorts,'' the Web site said. "Bob has also held the position of President and General Manager of Fairfield Communities, Inc.'s Pointe Alexis development in Florida."
Isleworth Country Club is one of Orange County's most expensive and prestigious gated neighborhoods.
Records also show golf legend Arnold Palmer owned Ward's home in the early 1990s.
Golf super star Tiger Woods, as well as sports stars Shaquille O'Neal and Grant Hill live in the lavish 300-home subdivision.
Former Hughes Supply Inc. CEO Tom Morgan and the estate of car dealer Bob Dance also have homes in Isleworth.
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