After he took the witness stand, a Florida man, 24-year-old Dima Tower, confessed to the brutal killings of his adoptive parents.
The defendant is on trial for murdering his adoptive parents, Jennifer and Robbie Tower, in their North Port, Florida home. He confessed to the crime, saying he planned and carried out the Aug. 31, 2023, attack using kitchen knives.
Dima Tower's Chilling Confession
In his chilling testimony, Dima admitted that he first attacked his adoptive father Robbie while he was sleeping. He then pursued his adoptive mother, Jennife,r after she tried to flee to a neighbor's house to ask for help.
The defendant testified that he stabbed his adoptive father in the neck first during cross-examination by prosecutor Karen Fraivillig. When he was asked if he intended to kill the victims, he responded affirmatively.
He also revealed that after his adoptive mother fled the scene to get help from the neighbors, he forced her to go back home. During his testimony, he told the court that he made Jennifer sit on the couch and explained what he had just done to Robbie before he stabbed his adoptive mother repeatedly, according to Court TV.
Dima's testimony gave the court a glimpse into the brutal double murder that shocked the community. Now, the defendant faces two counts of first-degree murder and could be given a life sentence if he is convicted.
Police initially responded to the Towers' home following a 911 call from a woman who reported another woman banging on her door and screaming for help. When law enforcement personnel arrived at the home, they found the defendant covered in blood and loading items into his car before leading police on a chase across county lines.
Fatally Stabbing the Victims
When officials searched through the home, they found the couple, dead, lying "head-to-head" and face down in the living room. In an affidavit, investigators described a violent scene at the residence, alleging that there was a large amount of blood that covered the living room couches, the couple's bed, the kitchen, a rag in the kitchen, and the inside of the front door, People reported.
During Dima's trial, a DNA expert, Charlene Webster, testified and took the witness stand on the second day of testimony. Webster, who specializes in forensic DNA analysis, with regard to the two knives recovered from the scene of the crime, identified and confirmed the substance on both knives as blood.
He concluded that the blood on one blade was more likely a mixture from two different individuals. The expert said that some of the blood belonged to Dima, adding that the second blade had blood that came from Robbie, as per My Sun Coast.
