SAN ANTONIO -- When the body of Juan Abitu was found in his apartment in August 2007, he was clutching a single strand of hair in his hand.

During opening statements Wednesday in the trial of Abitu's estranged wife Beatrix Perez, prosecutor Michael De Leon told the jury the strand of hair belonged to her.

"You're going to hear that this hair is covered in the blood of Juan Abitu. And you're also going to hear that the DNA evidence shows that the hair is linked right to the defendant Beatrix Perez."

Perez, 50, and Abitu, 73, were in the process of getting a divorce and living apart at the time of the slaying.

The defendant's lawyers dismissed the significance of the hair.

"That hair could have been there a week. It could have been there a month. It's not that significant," defense attorney Jay Norton told the jury.

Norton called the state's case "a house of cards" and said that it would collapse as the trial moved forward.

Norton noted that although the couple was divorcing, Perez visited Abitu at his apartment often.

If Perez is found guilty, she could be sentenced to a maximum of life in prison.