Developer to be tried in wife's death

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BRISBANE, Australia, March 20 (UPI) -- A Brisbane real estate developer was ordered to stand trial Tuesday in Australia on charges he killed his wife last year and dumped her body.

Gerard Baden-Clay denied the crime, speaking for the first time in a six-day hearing, The Australian reported.

"I am not guilty, your honor," he said.

Allison Baden-Clay disappeared in April. Ten days after her husband reported her missing, saying she failed to return from a late-night walk, her body was discovered in a riverbed about 8 miles from the couple's home.

Prosecutors say Baden-Clay had a double motive for killing his wife: He was having an affair and his mistress was demanding he end his marriage, and was also about a million dollars in debt.

The evidence against him included photographs police took of three cuts on his face the day he reported his wife missing. He said he had cut himself while shaving with a dull razor, but expert witnesses said they looked like scratches made by fingernails.

Darren Mahony, Baden-Clay's attorney, said his client is "eager" to stand trial.

Supporters gathered outside after the judge's decision.

"My brother Gerard is an innocent man," Baden-Clay's sister, Olivia Walton, said. "I will continue to support him throughout this process. One day, the truth will be revealed."