The trial for the Rome man accused of killing his wife in July 2019 and then putting her body in a dumpster continues.
Jason D'Avolio took the stand in his own defense on Monday.
He testified that he found his wife, Kerrilee, dead upstairs in their home after being shot in the back of the head.
Jason claims she committed suicide. Prosecutors believe he killed her.
He said she had knowledge of guns from playing paintball and being a member of ROTC.
D'Avolio bought the gun that was used in Kerrilee's death in April. He claims Kerrilee wasn't happy about the purchase, and took it away.
"Sell it. Pawn it. Get rid of it. I don't care what you do with it," D'Avolio said. "I'm not trying to fight with you. I'm trying to fix us, not push us further away, and that was the last I saw of it."
D'Avolio said he next saw the gun in July on the floor by the bed her body was on.
He claims he panicked, threw the gun in the canal, and put her body and mattress in separate dumpsters to protect his children.
Prosecutors say he was trying to cover his tracks after committing murder.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday.
