Witness: Estranged Wife Killed from Close Range

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By Daren Sukhram

Story Created: Nov 19, 2009 at 3:28 PM CST

Story Updated: Nov 19, 2009 at 3:28 PM CST

DAKOTA CITY (AP) - A medical examiner says the estranged wife of an accused killer and her friend died from close-range shotgun blasts on a rural highway near Marshalltown.

Dr. Dennis Klein testified Thursday that the shots that killed Jessica Deemer and Bryce Mercer were fired from 2 to 4 feet away.

Klein was the prosecution's last witness in the trial of Deemer's husband, Kyle Deemer.

The couple was separated in October 2008, when prosecutors say Kyle Deemer ran Mercer and his wife off the road and shot them.

Deemer has pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution also showed graphic photos of the bodies in court, causing family members at the trial to look away.

The defense will present its first witnesses on Monday.

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