The man testifies to blackmail, not him, killed his wife and forced him to write on the body.

Ann Arbor, Mi – A man who was accused of killing his wife, took the view to his own defense on Friday and claimed that the attack had come from two men who had blackmailed them.

The 74 -year -old Luke Edwards claims that two men threatened his wife for alleged crimes committed by her father, and blackmailed to give them two separate occasions in cash in cash. When she told them they would no longer give them money, they attacked, he said on May 2.

Edwards was charged in a house in the municipality of Ypsilanti due to the open murder in the death of 66-year-old Donna Marie Johnson, who was found dead on April 11, 2024. Edwards had asked his daughter to think about the house after calling her in the morning, he tried to kill himself.

Johnson had nine stab wounds, seven of which were potentially fatal, and two gunshot wounds, according to the medical examiner. She was also found with a knife near her body and her pants and underwear around her feet.

Edwards said on Friday afternoon as the only witness of the defense.

At some point on April 9th ​​or April 10, 2024, the two men came home, and Johnson told them that she would no longer pay her, said Edwards. After receiving the news, he claims that the couple tied his hands and feet with socks and attacked Johnson.

Read more: Woman probably died within seconds when her husband supposedly stabbed her 9 times, says Examiner

During several retelling in the story, Edwards gave slightly different versions of the orders of events, changed, which originally had a weapon, and at a point he freed himself before saying that the men had solved him.

Edwards said one of the men must have run into the kitchen to find the knife near Johnson.

Then they threatened him with a weapon, gave him a firearm and told him that he should shoot Johnson, said Edwards. The men then got his notebook and let him “forgive father” before having the weapon reloaded. They brought him back with their socks and went, said Edwards.

In Johnson's body, a note “Father forgive me ok” was found. Detective Sgt. George Lehman, a forensic examiner at the Michigan State Police, said on Friday that the handwriting in the note matched the rehearsals of Edwards.

Edwards claims that he could free himself and went to move Johnson before remembering that he shouldn't do so. He did the same with the knife, he said.

“I am disturbed. My wife is killed and puts with the blood there,” said Edwards. “So, as they said numerous people, we had a decent house. We had a good home.”

Read more: The victim's son describes the relationship between mother, man who is accused of having killed her

“So your thought of how your wife is bloody and dead on the floor is: 'Do you know what? We keep a decent house. So I will wash the knife.' I get that right?

“Yes, Ma'am,” said Edwards to her.

Edwards said that he thinks he had stayed alive so that he could be framed for it to have killed Johnson and that something bad would happen if he called the police.

He claims that he left Johnson's body where it was when he sold cars and other objects.

“I wanted to need some money to get a lawyer to get out because I saw how everything pointed to me,” said Edwards, who is represented by a public defender.

Read more: Jury that was selected for the man who was accused of killing wife

When he asked the public prosecutor why his DNA was found in Johnson's underwear, he pointed out that she was in the bathroom at that time and was not washed her hands and his DNA was in her body.

“I'm pretty sure that it is after so many years of sex,” said Edwards.

“Oh, you think that is the remaining sex -dna,” said Rezmierski.

“No, no, no,” said Edwards. “It's a possibility.”

Then he said the DNA came from his pants when he raised Johnson. The DNA found on Johnson was not a pioneering DNA, said Rezmierski.

Edwards also turned to send his daughter home because she knew that she would find Johnson's body. He claimed that he chose her because she “had experience there” and said she had previously seen other traumatic events.

“I knew she would see what was going on. I knew she would call the police as she did,” said Edwards. “She did everything right.”

Theundra McDaniel, the youngest daughter of Edwards, expressed contempt for her father's testimony.

“My heart goes to Donna's family to even listen to what was just said,” McDaniel, 47, told Mlive/The Ann Arbor News. “It's just terrible. And to hear the reason why he sent my eldest sister, make me sick in my stomach.”

McDaniel traveled from South Carolina to support Johnson's son, she said. When asked if she believed her father's testimony, she paused and then smiled.

“Do you think the testimony you have just heard?” she asked. “NO.”

Edwards' test will be resumed on Monday, May 5th.

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