Matthew Leili: 'I'm Too Emotional' To Testify

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- Matthew Leili, the almost always-talkative man accused of murdering his wife, opted not to speak in his own defense.

As the Gwinnett Daily Post reports, Leili on Thursday declined to testify in his own defense against charges he killed his wife, Nique, and hid her body in a pile of leaves.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Leili told Judge Randy Rich. “I’m too emotional.”

Nique Leili’s body was found on July 16, 2011, under a pile of leaves near the entrance to the Sidney Cove subdivision where she had lived.

From the start, police suspected her husband. But murder charges against him didn’t come until last year, after authorities say they reexamined evidence from a seized computer.

The defense rested its case Thursday, after putting Leili’s two daughters -- now 17 and 14 -- and father on the stand to testify in his defense.

The prosecution in the case painted a picture of a combative relationship, including playing audio tapes Leili made of multiple fights the couple had and evidence that Nique planned to leave Matthew after years of strife.

Closing arguments from both sides in the case were expected Friday morning.

To read the Daily Post’s full report, click here.