Prosecutors say Joseph Pallipurath, of Sacramento, drove across the country to confront his estranged wife, 24-year-old Reshma James. They say he burst into a church in Clifton on Nov. 23, 2008, fatally shooting James and another parishioner.
James' aunt was wounded in the attack. Jurors heard testimony from her earlier in the trial.
Pallipurath is explaining how he first met James and proposed marriage against the wishes of her family.
The shooting and the subsequent trial are being closely followed by the Knanaya community. It's an ancient Syriac Orthodox sect whose members largely hail from the South Indian state of Kerala.
