Jason Bouchard is facing a judge and jury over the beating death of his wife, with potentially damaging evidence prosecutors are using against him.
This is a very unusual circumstance -- a capital murder defendant representing himself at trial.
Bouchard began to cry as prosecutors played an audio recording of him confessing to a detective on Christmas Eve 2009, the day his wife was killed.
Bouchard accused Terry Sanvincente of turning his children against him in a bitter custody battle, saying, "I just want it to stop. And there's just one way that I can make it stop and that was to kill her."
She'd kicked him out of their northwest Houston home. But that night he'd come back. Investigators say Bouchard beat her to death with a crow bar. His children, aged 8, 6, and 3, were cowering in the next room with their nanny.
He admitted to detectives he set the home on fire. The children had to decide if they were willing to run past the man who they just heard attacking their mother, or if they wanted to risk their lives staying inside. Neighbor Kathy Skippers heard a knock on her door.
"Jason's the one who came to the door and said to me call 911, 'Save the kids, my house is on fire,'" Kathy said.
Kathy called 911 while her husband and sons ran to help.
Andrew Skippers says the front door of the house was open. He saw the flames and a body lying near the door.
Andrew testified Bouchard said to him there, "He told me not to worry about her, she was dead and that he killed her."
Testimony in this case continues. If Bouchard is convicted, he will automatically receive life in prison.
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