A 12-person King County Superior Court jury split 9 to 3 in its decision to convict Joseph Naimo, 63, a former Kent businessman, in the first-degree murder of his wife. A mistrial was declared.
The jury began deliberating the case Oct. 12 and announced its vote Oct. 20. It was unable to unanimously decide whether it had been proven without a doubt that Naimo, of Federal Way, had poisoned his wife.
Ann Marie Naimo, 53, died from ingesting strychnine, a substance used to kill pests, on Nov. 28, 2008. Joseph Naimo, a former pest control manager at AAA Pest Control in Kent with decades of experience in the field, was the only person with Ann Naimo when she passed. Toxicology tests revealed Ann Naimo, an alcoholic, also had alcohol and prescription medications in her system when she died.
During the trial, which lasted nearly two months at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, the prosecution argued that Joseph Naimo, who was in close contact with a female friend of Ann Naimo’s in the month proceeding her death, killed his wife. The defense argued Ann Naimo ingested the strychnine herself, committing suicide.
Dan Donohoe, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesman, said his office will review the case and decide within two weeks whether to retry Naimo.
On May 22, 2009, six months after Ann Naimo died, Joseph Naimo was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder. He was serving as the general manager of Kent’s AAA Pest Control and had more than 30 years experience in the pesticide business at the time.
Phone records show Naimo called a good friend of Ann Naimo’s several times the day of his wife’s death and 149 times between Nov. 1 and Nov. 28, 2008, according to court records. Naimo told police he and the woman were not having a sexual relationship but had kissed and held hands prior to Ann Naimo’s death, according to court records.
Naimo was charged for first-degree murder May 26, 2009. He pleaded not guilty to the crime on June 8, 2009.
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