DUBLIN, Ga. — Opening statements began Wednesday in the murder trial of a Laurens County man accused of killing his wife , with the defense arguing that a dangerous combination of prescription medications and alcohol caused the defendant to lose control.

Ben Whitaker, a nurse, is charged with murdering his wife Tiffani Scarborough , also a nurse, at their Penn Avenue home in Dublin in June 2021. Tiffani Scarborough Whitaker was found shot to death in the couple's kitchen just 59 days after their wedding.

Defense attorney Mitchell Warnock told jurors that his client suffered from depression and was self-medicating with a dangerous mix of alcohol and prescription drugs, including the antidepressant Lexapro.

"It was like a bad dream. It was like an old-time slide projector with gaps in

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