Beverly Murder Case Goes To Jury

BEVERLY, MA -- The fate of a 48-year-old Beverly man accused of killing his wife in November 2015 is in the hands of a Salem Superior Court jury following closing arguments Tuesday. Attorneys for Axel Scherer have not disputed that he killed Edith "Edie" Black-Scherer, 45, but have instead mounted an insanity defense in the trial, which concluded after more than four days of testimony.

Black-Scherer was taken to Beverly Hospital in critical condition on Nov. 16, 2015 and died of her injuries several days later. Last week jurors heard a recording an interview with police in which Scherer said "I strangled her, I think."

Subscribe to Beverly Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).