Ana Trujillo — who made international headlines last year after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend 25 times with a stiletto heel — appeared before a grand jury in Houston Monday as opening statements began in a murder trial that could land the former local TV host in prison for life.
Prosecutors said Trujillo, 46, repeatedly stabbed Stefan Andersson in the face and neck during an argument at the victim's Museum District condominium. Harris County assistant district attorney Sarah Mickelson compared the crime scene to a horror film, noting that police initially thought Andersson — a 59-year-old researcher and professor at the University of Houston — had been shot in the face.
Lawyers for Trujillo claimed she acted in self-defense, using the only weapon she had available to fight off a man they portrayed as an abusive alcoholic. The defense team also maintains that the murder weapon was more of a platform-heeled shoe than a pointed spiked heel.
"Trujillo allegedly stabbed her boyfriend two dozen times with a high-heeled shoe."
Jack Carroll, attorney for the accused, said the violent argument started after the couple spent the evening drinking at a nearby restaurant. He explained that Andersson snapped when his on-again off-again girlfriend said she leaving town to visit her daughter in Waco. In a fit of rage, he allegedly slammed her against a wall and then threw her across a couch.
"She was begging and begging him to let her go," Carroll told jurors, according to the Associated Press. "He started suffocating her . . . She did the only thing she could do."
But Harris County lawyers were quick to portray Trujillo as cunning and hot-tempered, saying she attacked Andersson when he fell onto his back during their confrontation. Several witnesses for the prosecution took to the stand, describing Andersson as kind man with a drinking problem.
"The one thing we can be sure of in this case is that Ana Trujillo is not a victim," Mickelson told the jury. "Ana Trujillo struck Stefan Andersson 25 times with the heel of her shoe while he lay on the floor and bled out."
After District Judge Brock Thomas refused to lower her bail in August, Trujillo was finally released from jail in December on a $100,000 bond. Those close to the case expect the murder trial to last at least a week.
Andersson was stabbed two dozen times in the face and neck during a violent confrontation with Trujillo at his Museum District condo.
