Jury trial underway for Cape Coral man accused of killing his fiancé
The murder trial of a Cape Coral man who posted Facebook memes about "hiding bodies" after his fiancé's remains were found in a state park is underway in Collier County.
Michael Zutten, 54, faces a second-degree murder charge on suspicion of killing his partner, Heather Lee Grimshaw, whose skeletal remains were discovered in August 2015.
Jury selection wrapped up Tuesday. Opening statements will begin Wednesday morning. The trial is expected to last a week.
According to Collier sheriff's reports, deputies responded to the Picayune State Park in reference to the discovery of human remains in August 2015. Two hikers had found a human skull after seeing vultures circling the area.
In November that same year, the sheriff's office received an anonymous tip that Grimshaw was missing.
Records show investigators then made contact with Zutten, who claimed to be her fiancé, and said that Grimshaw had left their home on Aug. 26 to go on a long hiking trip along the Appalachian Trail. He never reported her missing and Grimshaw's personal belongings, including her purse and wallet, were found in the home. Her car was found parked outside of it. Blood was also found to be present in the trunk of the car, records show.
Previously: Investigators ID human remains found in August as missing Collier woman Heather Grimshaw
More: CCSO seeking help identifying human remains found in Picayune Strand
Further investigation revealed that there were reported domestic violence incidents between Grimshaw and Zutten. Grimshaw was arrested in October 2014 on suspicion of battery against Zutten after he locked her out of her home, according to court records. The case was not prosecuted. In March 2015, Zutten broke a window with a hammer after Grimshaw locked him out, investigators wrote in the affidavit.
Grimshaw was also expected to be at work the day after she was last seen, and never gave notice that she was going to be on vacation.
The Collier County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death a homicide. A cause of death was undetermined, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Zutten was arrested in April 2018 by law enforcement officers with the U.S. Marshals Office while he was sitting at a bar in North Fort Myers. He was booked at the Naples Jail Center, and bail was set at $250,000.
A judge had rejected earlier motions to suppress evidence of multiple Facebook posts Zutten made in the days and months after Grimshaw's remains were found.
That included a photo Zutten had posted to Facebook the day Grimshaw's remains were found, with text reading "When someone is murdered, the police investigate the spouse first," and another posted on Oct. 31, 2015, of a sign reading "No trespassing. We're tired of hiding bodies."
In January 2019, at the motion to suppress hearing, Zutten testified that there was no truth to the posts, and he simply thought they were funny given the investigation into the victim's death, court records show. A judge ruled the evidence was appropriate probable cause to arrest Zutten and therefore could be used in the trial.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Jury trial underway for Cape Coral man accused of killing his fiancé
