Lina's Heart

Summary

---

48 Hours: “Lina’s Heart” (February 12, 2026)

Overview:

This gripping episode of “48 Hours,” hosted by Erin Moriarty, investigates the stunning death of Lena Kaufman and the subsequent murder trial of her husband, Adam Kaufman. Through emotional family accounts, tough legal arguments, and battling medical experts, the episode probes the mystery: Was Lena’s tragic death a murder, or a medical tragedy? The episode takes listeners from the initial 911 call through the courtroom drama and ultimate verdict.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Day of Lena's Death

• Early Morning Discovery
  • Adam Kaufman recalls finding Lena unresponsive in their bathroom, slumped over a magazine rack, with marks on her neck and pink frothy substance visible.
    • “She looked sick. She had marks on her neck. I don’t know what happened. I just remember being in a frantic mode to save her.” — Adam Kaufman [00:46]
• 911 Call
  • Adam’s panicked report and attempt to perform CPR under dispatcher guidance set the episode’s emotional core.
  • Fire rescue took 16 minutes to find the home, but Lena could not be revived.
    • “Lena, Lena, wake up... There’s blood… there’s stuff coming out of her mouth.” — Adam Kaufman [07:51]
• Initial Family Reaction
  • The sudden death of a healthy 34-year-old shook family and friends, who struggled to comprehend what happened.
    • “I could not comprehend how a healthy 34-year-old woman just dies.” — Adam Kaufman [10:27]

---

The Investigation and Community Fallout

• Adam’s Arrest & Community Perception
  • 18 months later, Adam is arrested in a dramatic SWAT raid.
    • “A SWAT team came in with laser pointed rifles and threw Adam on the floor…” — Adam Kaufman [02:40]
  • The Kaufman family faces suspicion and isolation in their Miami suburb.
    • “There are people in this town who think your son is a killer.” — Erin Moriarty [04:01]
• Evidence and Legal Jeopardy
  • Photographs of marks on Lena’s neck fuel suspicions of strangulation.
  • Adam’s own accounts to first responders appear inconsistent — did he find Lena slumped over the toilet (vomiting) or over a magazine rack? Discrepancies become central to the case.
    • “Paramedic Kimberly Burke says Adam told her that he found his wife slumped over the toilet…” — Erin Moriarty [16:11]

---

The Case Against Adam Kaufman

• Prosecution’s Argument
  • Prosecutor Kathleen Hogue argues Lena was strangled after a marital fight, pointing to bruises and deep neck injuries.
  • Motive remains unclear. The prosecution concedes there’s no evidence of infidelity or serious marital issues.
    • “I don’t know that he necessarily meant to do it, but I know that he did it because of the injury to her neck here, there, and the strap muscles.” — Kathleen Hogue [17:22]
    • “The injury speaks for itself.” — Kathleen Hogue [17:17]
• Questioned Motive
  • Minor tensions in the days leading up to Lena’s death, such as irritation over wedding arrangements, are noted—but even friends frame them as small matters.
    • “There was an issue with walking down the aisle… when Lena found out she wasn’t walking with Adam, it really set her off.” — Jennifer [19:17]

---

The Defense: A Natural Cause?

• Changing Strategies
  • The initial “spray tan allergy” theory is dropped in favor of focusing on investigative missteps and a possible underlying cardiac condition.
  • Defense stresses Adam’s consistent love for Lena and lack of any history of violence.
    • “An innocent man has been falsely charged.” — Adam Kaufman [20:52]
• Investigation Gaps
  • Accusations the police bungled the probe: evidence (magazines) wasn’t collected, and a key scene technician had a secret relationship with the lead detective.
    • “By direction of Detective Angulo, the magazines were not collected.” — Anna Howell [25:40]
    • “Did you have an affair with Detective Angula? Yes.” — Anna Howell [26:50]
• Alternative Explanations for Injuries
  • Defense experts testify that marks may have come from Lena collapsing onto the magazine rack, rescue attempts, or paramedic intubation efforts.
    • “When Lena Kaufman passed out, she fell onto a rack filled with very thick magazines. Those marks are consistent.” — Adam Kaufman [23:00]
    • “They tried to intubate her, and they made multiple efforts… If a tube is jammed into a person’s throat, it could actually cause damage.” — Al Millian [23:27]

---

Battle of the Medical Experts

• Prosecution’s Forensic Case
  • County chief medical examiner and associate testify it was homicide by mechanical asphyxia.
    • “This mechanical asphyxiation could only occur at the hands of somebody else.” — Dr. Bruce Hyma [29:40]
• Defense’s Medical Theory
  • Defense brings in pathologists who claim Lena died of acute and chronic myocarditis (heart inflammation) leading to sudden cardiac death.
    • “My opinion is she developed an irregular heartbeat. She collapsed.” — Dr. John Maraccini [30:41]
    • “She died of myocarditis that caused an acute cardiac dysrhythmia...” — Dr. Gregory Davis [33:49]
• Conflicting Interpretations
  • Erin Moriarty underlines the uncertainty of medical “fact”:
    • “Proof that even in this age of high tech crime scene investigations, what is written on a death certificate is not fact, but simply one doctor’s opinion.” [35:02]

---

Key Witness: Lena’s Mother

• Unexpected Support
  • Lena’s mother, Freda Eisman, testifies for the defense, supporting Adam and confirming Lena had fainting spells as a child.
    • “Do you love Adam? Like my own son. Do you support him? I really believe he is not guilty. He has nothing to do with this.” — Freda Eisman [36:09]
• Prosecution Attacks Motive
  • The prosecution questions if Freda’s testimony is to maintain connection with her grandchildren.
    • “What do you think would happen if she didn’t support Adam? Do you think for a second she would be seeing her grandchildren?” — Prosecution, paraphrased [38:09]
  • Freda has an emotional outburst in court, defending Adam.
    • “Are you accusing me of lies?” — Freda Eisman [38:24]

---

Verdict & Reflections

• Jury Deliberation & Acquittal
  • After a tense waiting period, the verdict: not guilty.
    • “We, the jury in Miami, Dade County, Florida, find as follows... not guilty.” — Court Clerk [40:17]
    • “All I heard was not guilty. And I felt Bill grab me and Al grab me. And I could hear the family crying.” — Adam Kaufman [40:31]
• Aftermath
  • Adam works to reclaim his reputation.
    • “Even though you’re acquitted, aren’t there still some people who wonder, did you have anything to do with your wife’s death?” — Erin Moriarty [41:14]
    • “People that matter know the truth. And that’s all I care about.” — Adam Kaufman [41:23]
  • Adam credits Freda, Lena’s mother, for saving his life.
    • “She probably saved your life.” — Erin Moriarty
      “Yeah, I think so.” — Adam Kaufman [41:38]
  • Touching closing note from Adam:
    • “In the end, Lena’s heart saved my life.” — Adam Kaufman [41:50]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Adam’s Grief and Isolated Guilt:

  • “I think about Lena every day... I hear whispering. When I go places, some people just ignore you.” — Adam Kaufman [00:10, 03:47]

• Mother’s Pain & Uncertainty:

  • “I miss her love. I miss her. Smell her humor. Yes, I miss her a lot.” — Freda Eisman [12:22]

• On Community Judgment:

  • “There are people in this town who think your son is a killer.” — Erin Moriarty [04:01]
    • “Let them think what they want to think. We're going to get through this and we're going to show everybody that he's not.” — Elaine Kaufman [04:12]

• On Medical Uncertainty:

  • “Proof that even in this age of high tech crime scene investigations, what is written on a death certificate is not fact, but simply one doctor's opinion.” — Erin Moriarty [35:02]

• On Vindication:

  • “The man branded as a killer for more than three years is acquitted of his wife’s murder... It was overwhelming.” — Erin Moriarty & Adam Kaufman [40:54, 41:03]

---

Significant Timestamps

• 00:10: Adam’s frantic 911 call
• 04:01: Community suspicion and family reaction
• 12:00: Lena’s funeral and unanswered questions
• 14:38: The “spray tan” allergy defense is introduced
• 16:11: First responder testimony on conflicting stories
• 17:17: Prosecutor articulates the homicide case
• 23:00: Defense alternative explanation of magazine rack injuries
• 25:40: Mishandling of key evidence (magazines not collected)
• 26:50: Crime scene investigator admits affair with lead detective
• 29:11: Medical examiner testifies to homicide by asphyxia
• 30:41: Defense expert testifies to death by myocarditis
• 33:49: Dr. Gregory Davis states Lena’s heart killed her, not her husband
• 36:09: Lena's mother testifies for Adam’s innocence
• 40:17: Jury delivers not guilty verdict

---

Episode Tone

The episode blends somber tragedy, heightened courtroom drama, and investigative rigor, with Erin Moriarty guiding listeners through the maze of human emotion, forensic ambiguity, and legal strategy. The language is empathetic, candid, and attentive to nuance—above all the heartbreak and aftermath for the Kaufman family takes center stage.

---

For those who haven’t listened, this episode captures both the agony of doubt and the complexity of modern justice, leaving listeners with questions about what we can ever truly know—and how lives are shaped by those answers.

Transcript

[Adam Kaufman]

I hope you please. My wife in the bedroom body. She's not breathing. Please hurry up. I think about Lena every day. She's on the floor, nine. I don't know what's going on. She was stunningly beautiful. Lena. Lena, come on, wake up. She had class, elegance, style. Not sleeping. Oh my God. Oh my God. This particular morning, it was about 5 o'.

[Erin Moriarty]

Clock.

[Adam Kaufman]

Remember waking up and seeing her not there. And I figured, okay, she's with the baby. She's not in bed, she's with the baby, Right? Around six o', clock, I woke up again. She wasn't there. That's when I got a pit in my stomach. I remember calling, no response. I remember walking into the bathroom and seeing her there, slumped over onto the magazine rack. She looked sick. She had marks on her neck. I don't know what happened. I just remember being in a frantic mode to save her. I can tell what he's thinking, what he's going through. We do feel each other's pain. That's how close we are. I am Seth Kaufman, Adam Kaufman's twin brother. When I got there, Adam was at the top of the staircase, hysterical, completely distraught. I've never seen him that way before in my whole entire life. Total shock. What happened to her? My name is Elaine Kaufman. My son lost his wife Lena.

[Erin Moriarty]

Hello.

[Adam Kaufman]

Five years ago. We'll never be the same. We never will be. They were happy, they loved each other, they had a beautiful life and they're.

[Erin Moriarty]

Raising two beautiful kids.

[Adam Kaufman]

What could be more of a tragedy than this? Want to say hi? Eighteen months later was like a second death in the family. A SWAT team came in with laser pointed rifles and threw at him on the floor and arrested him. What? What happened? It was the most unbelievable thing. My name is Adam Kaufman. I've been accused of murdering my wife.

[Erin Moriarty]

I'm erin moriarty. Tonight on 48 hours, lena's heart.

[Adam Kaufman]

I hear whispering. When I go places, some people just ignore you. Some people don't want to hear from you.

[Erin Moriarty]

Elaine Kaufman never imagined it would come to this. That she and her close knit family would be snubbed in their own community. An affluent suburb of Miami. There are people in this town who think your son is a killer.

[Adam Kaufman]

Let them think what they want to think. We're going to get through this and we're going to show everybody that he's not.

[Erin Moriarty]

Adam Kaufman, a successful real estate executive, husband and father of two, now found himself branded a murderer.

[Adam Kaufman]

You got to be kidding me. How could this happen?

[Erin Moriarty]

But there are these photos taken after Lena's death that show marks on her neck. And in April 2009, a year and a half after he says he found his wife unresponsive in their home, Adam Kaufman was charged with strangling her.

[Adam Kaufman]

There's a mistake. What evidence is there?

[Erin Moriarty]

No one took the news harder than Adam's identical twin, Seth.

[Adam Kaufman]

Oh, it was devastation. They might as well have locked me up.

[Erin Moriarty]

Is he scared?

[Adam Kaufman]

Of course he's scared.

[Erin Moriarty]

The news of Adam's arrest and Lena's death shook everyone around them. It simply didn't fit with the couple. They knew.

[Adam Kaufman]

She was his soulmate. They were just amazing together.

[Erin Moriarty]

Did you ever see anything that concerned you about their marriage?

[Adam Kaufman]

Never. I saw them all the time. They were happy, they loved each other.

[Erin Moriarty]

And so friends and family searched back in their minds. Did they miss something? Lena's mother, Freda Eisman, remembers a strange conversation she had with Lena just two months before her death. She said, listen, if something happened to me, I want you to know that I trust my kids only to you. I don't know why she asked me. I don't know what her thought was on this moment. But Freda says there was no sense that anything was wrong. On November 6, 2007, she saw her only daughter at work at the family's upscale furniture business. Never dreaming it would be the last time. I said, you look so beautiful, so classical. She said, are you proud of me? I said, of course. And how would you describe her mood when you saw her? She was very, very, very happy at the time. Lena, Adam and their kids lived right around the corner from Adam's brother Seth and his bride to be, Raquel. Was Lena excited about the wedding?

[Adam Kaufman]

Oh, she was so looking forward to it. She was one of Raquel's bridesmaids. I was Seth's best man. She was her happiest.

[Erin Moriarty]

That evening, Lena got a spray tan, her first to prepare for the big day. On the way home, she visited a friend to show off her tan, have a glass of wine and a bite to eat. Adam was home, he says, taking care of 5 year old Haley and 2 year old Jake.

[Adam Kaufman]

I remember her coming home around 11 o'. Clock.

[Erin Moriarty]

Did you see her when she came home?

[Adam Kaufman]

Yes, yes, I was already in bed watching tv.

[Erin Moriarty]

According to Adam, Lena undressed.

[Adam Kaufman]

You could definitely tell she was spray tanned. It just seemed a lot to me.

[Erin Moriarty]

They went to bed and the next time Adam says he saw his wife was in the early morning hours of November 7th. She was in this bathroom, he says, slumped over the magazine rack.

[Adam Kaufman]

I remember going over to her seeing all this red stuff all over. Pink, frothy, whatever it was. And I remember grabbing her from the back and she felt cold.

[Erin Moriarty]

Lena.

[Adam Kaufman]

Lena. Lena, wake up. My wife moves up and body. She's on a poor guy.

[Erin Moriarty]

At 6:10am Adam called 911.

[Adam Kaufman]

There's blood. There's stuff coming out of her mouth. There's holes. She looks pale. She looks sick. She had bullets on her neck. I don't know what happened.

[Erin Moriarty]

The operator instructed him to give his wife cpr.

[Adam Kaufman]

I need you to do compressions, okay? Push down on her chest rapidly 30 times and then back to breathing into her mouth twice. Can you hear her breathing? No, she pulled.

[Erin Moriarty]

You told the operator there were marks on her neck. Where were those marks?

[Adam Kaufman]

Here. Here. There were maybe three or four of them that I could see. Did something happen? Did she fall? No. Calm down, sir. Help is on the way, okay?

[Erin Moriarty]

It would take fire rescue teams 16 minutes to find the Kaufman home.

[Adam Kaufman]

They were frantic. Putting something over her face, putting something in her mouth. Continually asking me questions about her health. I'm thinking of, okay, what health problems does she have? Lena was always healthy to me.

[Erin Moriarty]

Seth and Raquel raced over to help Adam and his children.

[Adam Kaufman]

We got there and they were working on her in the bedroom. At that time. It was just an awful scene. It's just tough to look at.

[Erin Moriarty]

They couldn't save her. Lena Kaufman was pronounced dead at the hospital.

[Adam Kaufman]

I was numb. I couldn't. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't. I couldn't feel my body.

[Erin Moriarty]

What are you thinking had happened to Lena?

[Adam Kaufman]

I had no idea.

[Erin Moriarty]

Adam had to break the news to Frida. Adam was crying. Then he said, she's gone. That Lena is gone. What did you think? I don't know if I could think in this moment. I just. The only one thought I have, that it's not true. That it's not true. She cannot leave me here without her. She cannot do this to me.

[Adam Kaufman]

I could not comprehend how a healthy 34 year old woman just dies.

[Erin Moriarty]

Lena's friends Melissa and Jennifer were also in shock. Something happened. And that was my question for months.

[Adam Kaufman]

What happened?

[Erin Moriarty]

It was the question everyone was asking, including the Aventura police. There are officers who said you didn't act normal.

[Adam Kaufman]

How do you act? Is there a book on how you act when your wife just passes away? How do you act? How do you act? Do you have $10,000 or more in credit card debt? Maybe you're even barely getting by by making minimum payments. With credit card debt hitting record highs, national Debt Relief offers real debt relief solutions for people struggling to keep up. These options may reduce a large portion of credit card debt for those who qualify. You don't need to declare bankruptcy and you may be able to pay back less than you owe regardless of your credit.

[Erin Moriarty]

National Debt Relief has already reduced the.

[Adam Kaufman]

Credit card debt for more than 550,000 consumers. So don't wait if you owe 10, 20, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, you can now take advantage of this financial debt relief as the cost of living increases. To find out how much you could save, Visit National Debt Relief.com that's National Debt Relief.com.

[Erin Moriarty]

When Lena Kaufman was buried In November of 2007, no one could explain why she died, making her loss even more painful. What did you think? What killed her?

[Adam Kaufman]

I didn't know. And it was very, very, very frustrating.

[Erin Moriarty]

What do you miss the most about your daughter? I miss her love. I miss her. Smell her humor. Yes, I miss her a lot. Freda Eisman raised her daughter and son in five countries before Lena settled in Florida. Lena was as brilliant as she was beautiful.

[Adam Kaufman]

She spoke Russian, English, Danish, Flemish, Hebrew, a little bit of Italian. Sophisticated, very sophisticated. And I was just in awe.

[Erin Moriarty]

They met at a party, and after dating three years, Lena and Adam were married. Everybody say hi. Hi. Wow. One big happy family. Before long, Hailey and Jake were born.

[Adam Kaufman]

I was just kind of patting myself on the back saying, wow, you're a lucky guy.

[Erin Moriarty]

But in an instant, everything changed. His wife of seven years suddenly died, and for almost 18 months, no one seemed to know why. Adam says he repeatedly called the Dade county medical examiner's office and they all.

[Adam Kaufman]

Kept telling me, we're waiting on test results, we're waiting on test results. And I kept calling in. No return phone calls, no answers.

[Erin Moriarty]

But in April 2009, the answer he got stunned everyone. After exhaustive testing, the chief medical examiner ruled that Lena died from mechanical asphyxiation. Adam was thrown in jail, accused of strangling his wife.

[Adam Kaufman]

I know my brother more than anyone in this world, and I know he's just not capable of anything like that. He just cannot do that.

[Erin Moriarty]

Adam's family cared for Haley and Jake while he was behind bars. At a hearing two months later, Adams lawyers made headlines with a unique defense. They said they the spray tan did it.

[Adam Kaufman]

A few hours before she passed away, she had a spray tan. For the first time, it is possible to have an allergic reaction from this. So that was our thought. Everything else was normal.

[Erin Moriarty]

But prosecutor Kathleen Hogue scoffed at their theory. It was a laughable defense, truly. At the same time, laughable or not, Adam Kaufman was released on a half million dollars bond tracked by an electronic ankle monitor. He went home to his family to prepare for trial. It would take three years.

[Adam Kaufman]

The defendant is charged with second degree murder.

[Erin Moriarty]

But finally, in May 2012, ladies and gentlemen of our jury, Adam Kaufman goes on trial in downtown Miami as the prosecution case begins. Take me through it.

[Adam Kaufman]

What did you do next?

[Erin Moriarty]

First responders testify they found Adam's behavior suspicious.

[Adam Kaufman]

Mr. Kaufman on the scene was sometimes very calm, just talking, like us right now. And within a second, he would be completely a grieving type, out of control. It was almost like an act.

[Erin Moriarty]

Everyone acts differently under pressure. True, but probably. There's probably nobody that sees more of that than these people. You know, they didn't think that it was real. Did you notice any marks on her neck or on her shoulders? Yes, ma'.

[Adam Kaufman]

Am.

[Erin Moriarty]

But more troubling, Adam's initial stories seemed inconsistent. Okay. Did you describe how he found her in the bathroom? Yes. Paramedic Kimberly Burke says Adam told her that he found his wife's slumped over the toilet, crouched over the toilet as if she was vomiting when he woke up at 6am but the doctor at the hospital says he heard a different version.

[Adam Kaufman]

She had some strange marks on her neck. And I asked him if he knew how those might have occurred. And at that point in time, he stated that maybe the patient was laying on a magazine rack in the bathroom.

[Erin Moriarty]

Why would these people think that you had something to do with Lena's death?

[Adam Kaufman]

I pondered that for years now. And when someone that young and healthy dies, people want answers. And I can't give people answers they want to hear.

[Erin Moriarty]

Prosecutor Kathleen Hogue doesn't have all the answers either. Unlike most spousal murders, this one doesn't appear to have a motive. Is there any evidence that Adam Kaufman was having an affair? No. Is there any evidence Lena Kaufman was having an affair? No. Is there any evidence that there were serious domestic problems in this relationship? No. But isn't that going to make it very difficult in front of a jury to believe that this couple who seemed to love each other would just blow up one time and end up with a homicide? Well, you know, the injury speaks for itself. I don't know that he necessarily meant to do it, but I know that he did it because of the injury to her neck here, there, and the strap muscles. It was very deep, sustained pressure. Hogue believes Adam and Lena got into a fight in the early morning hours of November 7th, exactly what they fought about, she isn't sure, but she says the proof is in these crime scene photos. You believe there was an argument that started in the kitchen? I do. Because her breakfast was half done. Hogue is certain the compulsively neat Lena Kaufman would not have left a bowl of cereal and a half eaten banana on the counter. She believes the argument moved from the kitchen upstairs. You know, she may well have just been going into the shower saying, you know, screw you, I'm not gonna listen to you anymore. I don't wanna talk about it. And you know, he just flew off the handle. Yes, you are. Grabs her and you know, it's not that hard for someone as big and as strong as him to strangle someone. The prosecutor says that she believes that there was a fight that morning before. Did you fight with Lena?

[Adam Kaufman]

Absolutely not. Lena and I argued just like every married couple. Did we argue that day? Absolutely not. Everything was perfect.

[Erin Moriarty]

But some say things weren't quite so perfect. In the weeks before she died. Lena was threatening not to go to Seth and Raquel's upcoming wedding.

[Adam Kaufman]

There were some minor issues that I tried to stay out of. There were some. There was an issue with walking down the aisle.

[Erin Moriarty]

Adam was Cisco best man. Raquel wanted him to walk down the aisle not with Lena, but with her maid of honor. And that upset Lena, says her friend Jennifer.

[Adam Kaufman]

When Lena found out that she wasn't walking with Adam, it really set her off.

[Erin Moriarty]

You call it a minor issue. Some of her friends say it was a militia.

[Adam Kaufman]

I can't say it did not bother Lena, but Lena and I did talk about it. We did. And she was upset about it.

[Erin Moriarty]

Did she fight over that? Did that become a physical fight?

[Adam Kaufman]

Not at all.

[Erin Moriarty]

No.

[Adam Kaufman]

Never.

[Erin Moriarty]

She didn't do it to herself. You know, it has to be done by someone else. He's the only person that could have done it.

[Adam Kaufman]

I've never laid a hand on her in our entire relationship. Nothing happened. Look at the evidence. All rise to the jury. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind. Good morning, members of the jury, that Adam Kaufman is innocent of this charge. None, zero, zip. There are two sides to every story, ladies and gentlemen.

[Erin Moriarty]

To tell Adam Kaufman's side. His family luckily had the money to hire a dream team of defense attorneys.

[Adam Kaufman]

An innocent man has been falsely charged.

[Erin Moriarty]

Two of Miami's toughest lawyers, Bill Matthewman.

[Adam Kaufman]

I'm an ex cop.

[Erin Moriarty]

And Al Millian, I was a prosecutor for 12 years.

[Adam Kaufman]

They're very different. They're the good cop, bad cop.

[Erin Moriarty]

Adam's mother, Elaine believes they're the perfect combination.

[Adam Kaufman]

Bill never gets excited about things. We believe that this situation is unique, and Al is quite the opposite.

[Erin Moriarty]

It is improvised.

[Adam Kaufman]

He's a ball of fire. I don't have any trouble hearing, so please don't raise your voice at me.

[Erin Moriarty]

Mr. Matthewman, you may proceed. To counter Kathleen Hogue and her prosecution team, the defense attorneys have suddenly changed their strategy. They're no longer blaming Lena's death on her spray tan because there's not enough evidence to support it. Now they're attacking what they say was a botched investigation by the Aventura police.

[Adam Kaufman]

This case was assigned to a detective who had never conducted a homicide investigation.

[Erin Moriarty]

The lead investigator reported that Adam told emergency personnel conflicting stories about how he found his wife. But Adam's attorneys question those witness accounts.

[Adam Kaufman]

I've always been consistent with one story. One story that she was slumped over.

[Erin Moriarty]

You didn't tell anyone that she was over the toilet, like she was throwing up?

[Adam Kaufman]

Never. Never. Absolutely not.

[Erin Moriarty]

Where was she exactly? Adam agreed to show us how he found Lena.

[Adam Kaufman]

We had a leather magazine holder rack.

[Erin Moriarty]

And where was that corner?

[Adam Kaufman]

That was right here when I walked in. She was on top of it. She was draped over. And her head. If you turn your head to the right like that. And her hair was in her face.

[Erin Moriarty]

But she wasn't on the toilet.

[Adam Kaufman]

No. It was almost like she was sitting on the toilet and then got up and this happened. Or was about to sit down on the toilet and this happened.

[Erin Moriarty]

But then how do Adam and his attorneys explain the suspicious injuries on Lena's neck that prosecutors say prove that she was strangled?

[Adam Kaufman]

When Lena Kaufman passed out, she fell onto a rack filled with very thick magazines. And those marks are consistent with her resting on top, falling on top of those magazines in the magazine rack. And they're inconsistent with any type of fingernails or fingers of anything of that nature.

[Erin Moriarty]

And those deep internal injuries inside Lena's neck? Al Millian blames them on the paramedics.

[Adam Kaufman]

They tried to intubate her, and they made multiple efforts.

[Erin Moriarty]

Witnesses admitted that there were three failed attempts to insert a tube down Lena's windpipe to help her breathe.

[Adam Kaufman]

If a tube is jammed into a person's throat, it could actually cause damage around the throat area, isn't that correct? Yes, sir.

[Erin Moriarty]

And Millian admits that Adam might have caused some of the injuries himself in his desperate attempt to save Lena.

[Adam Kaufman]

My wife moved up and bought it. She's on it four times. I need you to do compressions. Okay.

[Erin Moriarty]

Do you think when you were giving her CPR, you might have left some of these injuries.

[Adam Kaufman]

I can't tell you one way or another. I'm working on my wife. I want to believe that I wasn't rough on her. I tilt her head back. I thought I did it gently. Is it possible that I didn't? Yeah, it's possible.

[Erin Moriarty]

The other bruises and abrasions on Lena's arms and legs occurred, according to the defense, when Lena was being moved from room to room by firefighters. Not from a struggle with Adam.

[Adam Kaufman]

Nothing on her body indicates that she was involved in a struggle. You would have expected to see that. Adam would have had scratches on his face, on his arms, on his hands, on his wrists, none of which existed. And that bathroom would have been full of marks. That tanning spray leaves trace evidence everywhere.

[Erin Moriarty]

Crime scene technician Anna Howell admits in court she didn't find any marks on the wall.

[Adam Kaufman]

Did you swab or test the side of the wall here? No, sir. Because there was nothing of evidentiary value on there.

[Erin Moriarty]

But a defense expert enhanced photos and found what appears to be traces of spray tan where Adam says Lena had contact with the bathroom wall.

[Adam Kaufman]

A rectangular to oval shaped mark.

[Erin Moriarty]

And then there's the magazine rack that Lena was laying on. Howell took the rack as evidence, but says lead investigator Anthony Angulo told her to leave the magazines.

[Adam Kaufman]

By the direction of Detective Angulo, the magazines were not collected.

[Erin Moriarty]

There was no evidentiary value on them. There was no blood.

[Adam Kaufman]

There was. They were not wet.

[Erin Moriarty]

But Bill Matthewman contends there was some kind of fluid on top of the magazines as seen in this enhanced photo. And it could have been crucial evidence. What happened to all that?

[Adam Kaufman]

That's the $10,000 question. Where are those magazines? They're gone. They're not there.

[Erin Moriarty]

You can't test it.

[Adam Kaufman]

We can't test them.

[Erin Moriarty]

And then a development no one expected that raises even more questions about how this case was investigated.

[Adam Kaufman]

You're friends with Detective Angulo? I'm a co worker of his. Yes, but when you've been off duty, you socialize with Detective Angulo? No, sir.

[Erin Moriarty]

But the defense knows it's not quite the truth.

[Adam Kaufman]

Good morning, everybody. You may be seated.

[Erin Moriarty]

And the following day, in a stunning about face, he's referring the testimony you're.

[Adam Kaufman]

About to give him.

[Erin Moriarty]

Anna Howell admits her real relationship with the lead detective.

[Adam Kaufman]

Did you have an affair with detective Angula?

[Erin Moriarty]

Yes, and my husband is well aware of it, sir. And I am happily married and I don't have any issues with that any longer. Did you have any idea that this crime scene technician was having a relationship with the lead detective. No, none.

[Adam Kaufman]

It wasn't about the affair. It's about the lying and the motivation for covering up.

[Erin Moriarty]

Yeah, it was very, very bad for us. But the biggest court battle is about to come.

[Adam Kaufman]

The experts say that it's not a homicide. The experts say that it's absolutely not a murder. And the experts say that it is a natural death.

[Erin Moriarty]

When you take a sip of an ice cold Coke, zero sugar, you know you're getting real Coca Cola tastes you love. And with zero sugar, it's so delicious you can almost taste it with your ears. Hear those bubbles, imagine them tingling on your tongue. Fizzy deliciousness. Listen to that Cassidy Skating liquid. It's unmistakably tasty. All with zero sugar. Crisp, refreshing and ice cold. Ah, Coke.

[Adam Kaufman]

Zero sugar.

[Erin Moriarty]

Real Coca Cola taste. Zero sugar.

[Adam Kaufman]

Hi, I'm Katie Ring and welcome to crime house 24 7. Throughout the day, we bring you up to the minute crime coverage as stories break with daytime episodes hosted by Vanessa Richardson, keeping you informed on the cases unfolding right now. And at night, I take you deeper with Night Watch episodes, examining the facts, the evidence, the people at the center.

[Erin Moriarty]

Of today's biggest cases.

[Adam Kaufman]

New episodes of Crime House 24.7drop every weekday. Listen to and follow Crime House 24.7, available now wherever you get your podcasts. There are unexplained deaths that happen in this country every day. People pass away from natural causes, and sometimes they can figure out what it is. Sometimes they can't.

[Erin Moriarty]

And yet a seemingly healthy young woman is dead with injuries and bruises on her neck and body. The county's chief medical examiner, testifying for the prosecution, says there can be only one conclusion.

[Adam Kaufman]

Cause of death is mechanical asphyxia. Mechanical asphyxia? Yes. And what would be the manner of death? Homicide.

[Erin Moriarty]

Homicide. Dr. Bruce Hyma tells the jury that Lena Kaufman was murdered when someone or something cut off her airway.

[Adam Kaufman]

And why would it be a homicide? Dr. Hyma, given all of the totality of information and all of the injury, this mechanical asphyxiation could only occur at the hands of somebody else.

[Erin Moriarty]

And Dr. Hyma's opinion is backed by his former associate medical examiner, who supervised the original autopsy.

[Adam Kaufman]

Did you know you had an asphyxial death? Yes. Did you know you had a homicide? Yes.

[Erin Moriarty]

But the defense has its own medical witnesses, and they say something completely different.

[Adam Kaufman]

Was the death of Eleanor Coffman a homicide?

[Erin Moriarty]

No.

[Adam Kaufman]

And why do you say that? The evidence does not point to that.

[Erin Moriarty]

According to Dr. John Maraccini, a pathologist, Lena Kaufman died simply of Undiagnosed heart failure. And these slides taken of her heart, he says, prove it.

[Adam Kaufman]

This area is where normal heart muscle used to be. And something happened. There was disease here. And disease changed the tissue from this to this.

[Erin Moriarty]

He tells the jury she had myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart.

[Adam Kaufman]

My opinion is she developed an irregular heartbeat. She collapsed.

[Erin Moriarty]

That's also what Dr. Michael Baden, the former New York City chief medical examiner.

[Adam Kaufman]

Concludes Mrs. Kaufman died of a pre existing natural acute and chronic myocarditis.

[Erin Moriarty]

It's a shocking claim, especially since Lena Kaufman appeared to have no history of heart disease. But her husband now recalls unexplained feigning spells after they married.

[Adam Kaufman]

I remember standing at the bar in a club with her, and all of a sudden, you know, we're talking and she just collapses straight down. And luckily I was standing there. I caught her two, three seconds later. She kind of came out of it. I'm all right. I'm all right. Hi.

[Erin Moriarty]

There was a much more serious incident after Haley was born. Adams says, what's going on? Lena had been home with a toddler when she suddenly collapsed.

[Adam Kaufman]

She had called me and said, I just fainted. I just passed out and I can't get off the floor. I said, okay, I'm rushing home. When I remember when I got home, she was up, she was fine, walking around like nothing had happened.

[Erin Moriarty]

Didn't that concern you?

[Adam Kaufman]

Of course. Of course.

[Erin Moriarty]

But Adam admits Lena never saw trust treatment from a doctor. Why not push her to go see the doctor?

[Adam Kaufman]

Yeah, she didn't want to go. She said she was perfectly fine and life was back to normal.

[Erin Moriarty]

Do you believe that she had a history of fainting, Ms. Bells?

[Adam Kaufman]

No.

[Erin Moriarty]

No. Her friends didn't, you know, didn't corroborate that. What's more, says prosecutor Kathleen Hogue, none of the doctors hired by the state believe the signs of inflammation seen in Lena's heart were serious enough to kill her.

[Adam Kaufman]

Any indications she had trouble with her heart? No. Any indications she had a pre existing medical condition, Signs of dizziness, shortness of breath, Anything that would have caused you concern about what she had going into this? No. Nothing. Nothing at all. Did you see any signs at all in Lena Kaufman's heart that suggested she had congestive heart failure? No. Dr. Montso, do you agree with the findings that Lena Kaufman had active inflammation in her heart and evidence of a scar? I do not. I found nothing abnormal.

[Erin Moriarty]

How could six reputable doctors, four testifying for the prosecution and two for the defense, take a look at all the same Evidence but reach such different conclusions. Was Lena Kaufman murdered or did she die of heart failure? Her husband's future hangs on that answer. Does a case like this scare you?

[Adam Kaufman]

It does.

[Erin Moriarty]

Dr. Gregory Davis isn't working for either the prosecution or the defense. He's the medical examiner for the state of Kentucky, the expert we asked to look at all the evidence. As you sit here. Now, do you now believe you know what killed Lena Kaufman?

[Adam Kaufman]

I do.

[Erin Moriarty]

You have no question about it?

[Adam Kaufman]

No question. She died of myocarditis that caused an acute cardiac dysrhythmia and caused her death.

[Erin Moriarty]

It was Lena's heart that killed her, not her husband, says Dr. Davis. He points to the evidence that convinces him.

[Adam Kaufman]

This pink thing is a heart cell. And these are inflammatory cells that are actually attacking and destroying that heart cell.

[Erin Moriarty]

The inflammatory cells are those small dark ones.

[Adam Kaufman]

That is a true myocarditis, a true inflammation of the heart where the body's own immune system is actually attacking the heart.

[Erin Moriarty]

And those injuries on Lena's neck? Sadly, says Dr. Davis, they may have been caused by Lena herself.

[Adam Kaufman]

If she were suffering a cardiac dysrhythmia which causes can cause an air hunger in a patient whose heart is rapidly failing. She feels out of breath. It can be very common for a person to grab at their own neck in that kind of scenario. I think she died a natural death.

[Erin Moriarty]

Dr. Davis is just as sure of his diagnosis as is every medical expert who testified at trial. Proof that even in this age of high tech crime scene investigations, what is written on a death certificate is not fact, but simply one doctor's opinion.

[Adam Kaufman]

I think these are honest, good physicians, but they are interpreting these findings differently. And I know that can be scary because people's lives are on the line based upon these interpretations.

[Erin Moriarty]

But even if all these Doctors can't agree, 12 jurors are going to have to. Two weeks into the trial, a surprising witness for the defense.

[Adam Kaufman]

Your Honor, at this time, we would.

[Erin Moriarty]

Call Ms. Freda Eisman, Lena Kaufman's mother.

[Adam Kaufman]

The swear from the testimony about to give will be the truth, the whole and nothing but the truth.

[Erin Moriarty]

Yes.

[Adam Kaufman]

Do you love Adam?

[Erin Moriarty]

Like my own son.

[Adam Kaufman]

Do you support him?

[Erin Moriarty]

I'm here. I really believe that he is not guilty. He is not guilty. He has nothing to do with this. Freda Eisman is Adam's best hope.

[Adam Kaufman]

The fact that she was willing to come in there and testify for Adam and support Adam in front of that jury was critical for us.

[Erin Moriarty]

Critical because attorney Bill Matthewman says she backs up Adams claims that Lena had undiagnosed health problems that caused her death. She had a habit, let's see, to faint? Yes. According to Freda, Lena suffered fainting spells as a child. So what did you think? Was it just normal that she would faint occasionally? No, of course it's not normal, but it was when she was little. We went to the doctors, of course, and they didn't find anything. Now, Freda believes the reason her daughter asked her to take care of her children was because Lena knew she was ill. But prosecutors say there are no records Lena ever consulted a doctor about fainting spells.

[Adam Kaufman]

Was Lena ever taken by ambulance to the hospital in response to any one of these episodes she had? No. So the fainting spells that you observed in Lena were a long time not close to her death?

[Erin Moriarty]

Yes. If she thought Adam killed her daughter, why would she testify for him? She has no idea what's going on between Adam and her daughter. She's never really seen the injuries to her daughter or, you know, she only knows what the Coffman family has told her.

[Adam Kaufman]

Adam Kaufman is not guilty.

[Erin Moriarty]

In closing arguments, the defense emphasizes Frieda's unwavering belief in her son in law.

[Adam Kaufman]

Freda Eisman lost her daughter. Freda still supports Adam, loves him like a son, knows he's innocent.

[Erin Moriarty]

But the prosecution questions her motive for testifying.

[Adam Kaufman]

Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Eisenman has two beautiful grandchildren. What do you think would happen if she didn't support her? Do you think for a second she would be seeing her grandchildren? You think she's gonna go against him?

[Erin Moriarty]

Are you accusing me of lies? Frieda's outburst angers the judge.

[Adam Kaufman]

All right, I'm not gonna have any outbursts from the audience. You can have a seat outside.

[Erin Moriarty]

Who orders her to leave the courtroom? If there was a side of you that thought that Adam did have something to do with your daughter's death, would you have still defended him in court? Of course. Not. Even to keep a father for. Of course not. What father he can be. If he can do this to a mom, to this kid, so what father he can be? Of course not. On June 5, 2012, after a month long trial, the case goes to the jury and the waiting begins.

[Adam Kaufman]

It's a scary, scary, scary thing.

[Erin Moriarty]

Look what I made for you, dad. Adam's biggest fear, that his children, who have already lost their mother, will now lose him.

[Adam Kaufman]

Every morning I leave and I go to. I go to work or the kids go to school, and you know, you hug the kids and you kiss the kids and you know you're gonna see them this morning. Was. Was. Was different. That hug and kiss was different.

[Erin Moriarty]

After eight agonizing hours, the jury reaches a verdict. Okay, please bring the jury.

[Adam Kaufman]

It was definitely that feeling of, okay, here it is. Here we go. Madam Clerk, please. Public. And I stood up between Al and Bill and put my head down and just thought of my kids.

[Erin Moriarty]

We, the jury in Miami, Dade County.

[Adam Kaufman]

Florida, find as follows.

[Erin Moriarty]

The defendant is not guilty.

[Adam Kaufman]

So say we all for a person.

[Erin Moriarty]

Bernard W.H. jennings.

[Adam Kaufman]

All I heard was not guilty. And I felt Bill grab me and Al grab me. And I could hear the family crying. And I'm like, is this it? Is it over? The defendant is discharged at this time and free to go. Thank you.

[Erin Moriarty]

The man branded as a killer for more than three years is acquitted of his wife's murder.

[Adam Kaufman]

And it was amazing. It was unbelievable. It was pretty overwhelming. It was overwhelming.

[Erin Moriarty]

For prosecutors, it's a crushing defeat. Even though you're acquitted, aren't there still some people who wonder, did you have anything to do with your wife's death?

[Adam Kaufman]

Of course there's people out there that are. That are gonna sit and wonder. People that matter, know the truth. And that's all I care about. Freedom.

[Erin Moriarty]

Adam is now trying to get his life and his reputation back. Has it occurred to you that you might not be sitting here if it wasn't for Lena's mom coming forward and testifying for that?

[Adam Kaufman]

Absolutely.

[Erin Moriarty]

She probably saved your life.

[Adam Kaufman]

Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

[Erin Moriarty]

Saved by Lena's mom, Adam says. And Lena herself, I believe she was.

[Adam Kaufman]

A big part of this entire process. Process. And she was. She was watching over it. In the end, Lena's heart saved my life. Can you keep a secret?

[Erin Moriarty]

Died.

[Adam Kaufman]

It turns out I hadn't died. Now streaming on Paramount. Plus, the money from your dad's life.

[Erin Moriarty]

Insurance finally came through.

[Adam Kaufman]

Please, this is fraud. A new original series.

[Erin Moriarty]

You have to give the money back. What sort of friend blackmails their own mates?

[Adam Kaufman]

We're a crime family.

[Erin Moriarty]

Oh, don't be silly.

[Adam Kaufman]

We're just a bit complicated, like the Beckhams. Can you keep a secret? New series now Streaming on Paramount. Plus.

[Erin Moriarty]

Pluto TV has thousands of free movies and TV shows die. Like Dream Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants and Ghosts. Free.

[Adam Kaufman]

Huzzah.

[Erin Moriarty]

Pluto TV. Stream now. Pay. Never.