Gypsy Willis, the former mistress of a Utah doctor accused of killing his wife, testified on Tuesday at his murder trial. Willis told the court that she moved into Martin MacNeill’s house nine days after his wife died and that the doctor proposed to her with a $7,000 diamond ring a few months later.
Willis was questioned by prosecutors as a hostile witness after the judge agreed she was trying to protect MacNeill with less than truthful answers.
MacNeill is accused of murdering his wife, Michele MacNeill, after she had a face-life in April 2007, reports The San Francisco Chronicle . The doctor allegedly administered a lethal combination of drugs for her recovery, then helped her into a tub of water.
Gypsy Willis already admitted in previous testimony that she sent text messages with the doctor 30 times the day his wife died. She added on Tuesday that she sent suggestive photos of herself to him the day after Michele’s funeral.
PEOPLE notes that Willis was determined to be a hostile witness on Tuesday before she took the stand. Prosecutor Sam Pead asked the court for permission to ask her leading questions, commenting, “She’s out to protect him as much as she can.”
Judge Derek Pullan agreed, commenting, “Based on their prior relationship, I agree [Willis’s] testimony is aligned with the defense.” Under direct questioning Gypsy Willis later admitted she knew MacNeill’s wife planned to have face-lift surgery. However, she denied knowing any other details of her death.
Willis was hired as a nanny about a week after his wife’s funeral, even though two of his older daughters already testified that they knew about the couple’s relationship. They apparently had a sexual relationship for 15 months before Michele MacNeill’s death. The doctor gave her a duplex, a debit card for expenses, and helped her pay for nursing school.
Along with Gypsy Willis, prosecutors plan to call another woman they claim was one of the doctor’s previous mistresses. Prosecutors also planned to question three of MacNeill’s oldest daughters on Wednesday. They believe their estranged father killed their mother, but haven’t offered proof to the claim.
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