James Higgins, one of two men who admitted to having an affair with Brenda Andrew in court Wednesday, said she accused her husband of being mentally and emotionally abusive.
"She didn't like to go to dinner with him," Higgins said the defendant told him. "She said she couldn't stand to look at him."
Higgins said he became enticed by Andrew, whom he said wore sexy clothes and flirted with him when he worked at a northwest Oklahoma City grocery store.
They became lovers for 16 months, Higgins testified as his wife of 31 years sat in the courtroom.
"Basically, she came into the store looking real nice and sexy ... low-cut tops and short skirts," Higgins said. "She was flirting and rubbing against me.
"One day she brought me a motel key. She said meet me there. I was shocked."
Brenda Andrew, 38, and co-defendant James Pavatt, 48, are charged with first- degree murder for the Nov. 20 killing of her estranged husband, Rob Andrew, an Oklahoma City advertising executive.
Rob Andrew, 39, was shot twice with a shotgun when he arrived at his wife's home to pick up their children for the Thanksgiving weekend. His wife was hit once by a .22-caliber bullet. She said two masked men shot them.
Brenda Andrew, Pavatt and her children later disappeared. They were arrested Feb. 29 in Hidalgo, Texas, as they attempted to re-enter the United States from Mexico.
The Andrews filed for divorce Oct. 3.
More preliminary hearing testimony about the defendants' relationships will continue Monday in Oklahoma County District Court before Special District Judge Carol Ann Hubbard. The hearing is expected to last through June 12.
District Attorney Wes Lane said he expects to call 15 to 20 witnesses.
Higgins testified he ended the affair in May 2001 when Andrew told him "it wasn't fun any more." He said he continued to be her friend and was hired to do construction and refurbishing work around her house.
In September, Higgins said he helped Rob Andrew move clothing out of the house when he went to pick up his final payment for a $14,000 deck he and his two sons built in her back yard.
Higgins testified Brenda Andrew told him she didn't want to be without money because she didn't want to work and leave her children.
She was upset because Rob Andrew was going to have their children for the Thanksgiving holiday, Higgins testified.
Rick Nunley, her second lover to testify Wednesday, and Higgins attended the Andrews' divorce proceedings at the request of the defendant in October.
They both talked to her the day after the killing, they said.
Higgins said he told his wife about the affair the day after Rob Andrew died and then contacted police. He said he called Brenda Andrew, telling her he confessed to his wife and not to ever call him again.
Nunley said the last time he talked to Brenda Andrew was when she called asking for help contacting her sister, Kim Bowlin, and her attorney, Greg McCracken.
"She said she had important attorney papers for the children and a written confession in the suitcases," Nunley testified.
No confession has been discovered by investigators or prosecutors.
Nunley said he became friends with the Andrews when his former wife, Cynthia, worked with the defendant at an Oklahoma City bank about 10 years ago. He said his affair with Andrew began in October 1997, while she was still married but after she had filed for divorce. The affair ended in the spring of 1998.
Nunley, who smiled at Andrew as he took the witness stand, testified he wasn't convinced Andrew could have killed her husband.
I invite you to listen to the 911 call she made here. Comparisons with other calls you might have heard are natural, but please move discussions of any other cases, particularly one I cannot name here, to other threads.
Admin Moderator: please note I am trying to follow the letter and the spirit of the rules spelled out to me by the Admin Moderator. Anyone discussing any other case on this thread does so despite my express request to discuss this case only.