A U.S. soldier on trial for the August 2023 murder of his newlywed wife did not kill her, but instead panicked after finding her dead, according to his defense team.
Attorneys for Zarrius Hildabrand, 24, argue that Saria Barney, 21, took her own life with an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound while her husband was passed out drunk following his 21st birthday celebration.
While acknowledging that Hildabrand lied to police and actively hid his wife's body, the defense insists those actions were driven by fear rather than criminal guilt.