Wife to Stand Trial in Doctor's Savage Slaying

A Navy doctorโ€™s wife, accused of killing her husband after she found out he was having an affair, must stand trial on murder charges.

Jennifer Trayers, 42, is accused of killing Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Frederick Trayers, 41, during an attack last December. Judge David Gill ruled on Tuesday that enough evidence had been presented for Trayers to stand trial on a murder charge.

Prosecutors say Dr. Trayers, an emergency room physician at Naval Medical Center San Diego, was planning to leave his wife for a woman he met last August.

On Dec. 4, Jennifer Trayers wrote an 8-page email to the other woman, listing his various faults and attributes.

"She also very clearly indicated at the end of the email that the woman who had been having a relationship with Dr. Trayers would not have the opportunity of any future relationship with him and the defendant, Jennifer Trayers, would be the last person Dr. Trayers would ever be with," said Deputy District Attorney Fiona Khalil at a hearing last week.

Within hours, Fred Trayers was repeatedly stabbed and slashed to death in the bedroom of the couple's North Park condo, according to prosecutors. They say he tried to fight off the attack while waking up from a sedative-induced sleep.

On Dec. 6, police broke in after he missed work at the hospital.

Jennifer was found nearby with what were determined to be superficial, self-inflicted cuts.

Stacked on the kitchen counter of the condo were envelopes, telephone bills, parking receipts and photographs -- possible indications that Jennifer had confronted her husband over the affair.

One of Dr. Trayer's colleagues testified she noticed a change in his mood in September, while they were planning an annual party for the hospital's physicians.

"He indicated that there were some marital problems with him and Jen and that he couldn't be as involved this year, because he was needing to work on that situation," said Mona Colianno, M.D., USN from the Naval Medical Center San Diego.

If convicted, Jennifer Trayers faces 26 years to life in prison.

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