Prosecutors in Fargo murder trial show crime scene

Prosecutors in a North Dakota murder trial opened testimony by outlining a gruesome crime scene where they say a Fargo dentist was beaten to death with a hammer.

Michael Nakvinda of Oklahoma City is accused of killing Philip Gattuso in October 2009. Police say Gattuso's father-in-law, Gene Kirkpatrick, hired Nakvinda as a hit man because Kirkpatrick didn't want Gattuso raising his granddaughter.

Nakvinda says he was framed by Kirkpatrick, of Jones, Okla.

Prosecutors used pictures and videos Wednesday to lead jurors through Gattuso's south Fargo townhome, where his body was found in a pool of blood. A police investigator testified that Gattuso appeared to put up a struggle before he was overpowered.

Friends who discovered Gattuso's body also testified.

The trial is expected to last into early next week.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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