Trial Begins for Doctor Accused of Killing Wife

W E L L E S L E Y, Mass., May 24, 2001 -- A well-known doctor murdered his wifeafter she discovered his secret life of prostitutes andpornography, a prosecutor told jurors today in his openingstatement.

Dr. Dirk Greineder is accused of striking his wife, Mabel, inthe back of the head with a hammer and slitting her throat duringan early morning stroll on Halloween 1999.

Prosecutor Richard Grundy said the jury will hear testimony thaton the surface, Greineder was a well-respected, straightforwardallergist.

"But you'll also hear he was a man of secrets," Grundy said,noting that Greineder had called a prostitute the day before hiswife's killing — and the day after. Prosecutors also say hesolicited sex over the Internet and sent nude e-mail photos ofhimself.

Defense: Porn and Prostitutes No Motive for Murder

The doctor's defense attorney acknowledged that Greinedersolicited prostitutes and used the Internet for sexualgratification — but said he had no motive to kill his wife.

"This is not a case about whether Dirk Greineder is guilty ofinfidelity," defense attorney Martin F. Murphy said in hisstatement. "All of those things had nothing to do with the murderof `Mae' Greineder, and they had everything to do with theprosecution's desperate search to find a motive."

Murphy said police and prosecutors jumped to the conclusion thatGreineder was the killer. He noted that there were two unsolvedkillings in nearby recreation areas, and said the DNA of someoneother than the Greineders was on a glove Mrs. Greineder was wearingwhen her body was found.

Standing By Dad

The couple's three children, who have maintained their father'sinnocence, were in the courtroom today.

Greineder, 60, told police he was walking with his 58-year-oldwife and their dog in the woods when she stepped on a rock. Shesaid she twisted her back and told him to go ahead and she'd meethim in the parking lot, he told police. When he walked back to findhis wife, he found her body, he said.

But Grundy told jurors that a witness saw Greineder walk fromthe pathway where his wife's body was found to another pathway,then back again, never calling for aid.

"At no point does this defendant yell `Help,' does he scream,calling for any assistance in any way, shape, or form," theprosecutor said.

The prosecutor also told the jury that police found plastic bagsand gloves near Mrs. Greineder's body of the same types found inthe Greineders' home.

Jurors spent more than two hours at the crime scene at Morse'sPond on Wednesday. Mrs. Greineder's body was found about 300 feetinto the woods, just off a dirt path.