South Fla. developer Adam Kaufman acquitted in wife's 2007 death

By: Casey Glynn
Topics: Daily Blotter

From left: Defense attorney Al Milian, defendant Adam Kaufman and defense attorney Bill Matthewman react as a not guilty verdict is read in Kaufman's murder trial on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

/ AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Chuck Fadely

(CBS/WFOR/AP) MIAMI - Adam Kaufman, a South Florida real estate executive accused of strangling his wife to death in 2007, has been found not guilty of second degree murder.

A jury acquitted Kaufman on Tuesday after about eight hours of deliberation, reports CBS Miami.

Jury Forman Bernard Jennings reportedly said the jury did not think the state proved its murder case beyond a reasonable doubt.

"There was a plethora of circumstances that led to reasonable doubt. There wasn't one circumstance that led to reasonable doubt," Jennings said, according to CBS Miami.

The station reports that Kaufman called 911 in November 2007, saying he found his wife collapsed on the bathroom floor of their Aventura home.

Eleonora Kaufman, 33, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

During the trial, prosecutors said Kaufman has strangled his wife, leaving pronounced markings on her neck, burst blood vessels in her eyes and bruises on her body. No evidence for a motive was presented.

Defense attorneys argued evidence was overlooked by the homicide detective and medical examiner. They said Kaufman's wife died of an undiagnosed heart disease and a fall onto a magazine rack.

According to the Miami Herald, Jennings said he firmly believed the defense theory .

After the verdict, Kaufman's family members cried and fell into each others' arms in relief, reports CBS Miami. Adam Kaufman and his twin brother posed for a picture with the verdict form.

"We all knew this day would come," said Kaufman, "It was just a question of when - and today's the day."

Kaufman said that Eleonora is never far from his heart, CBS Miami reports. He said, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her, and she's here she was watching over this and she can finally rest in peace."

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by A-different-view October 28, 2012 2:04 AM EDT: As some with a heart condition, I know what it is like when you get dizzy and pass out... I would get dizzy as a child ... like when you spin around in circles really fast and then stop... when younger my family and I thought I was just klutzy. When they got worse when I was in the 6th grade,we were told it was a dis-balance of fluid in my ears... When I was in the 9th grade it got to the point where I was missing school on a daily basis... we found out it was a heart condition... I would pass out at school and fall down concert stairs, at home and hit my head... if we didn't find out what was causing them or I blew them off it could have been fatal... I remember feeling embarrassed about it... she could of as well not to mention she had people who depended on her...in her mind she needed to be strong and healthy, they weren't something that happened everyday. if you look at the other facts of the case and you take in a heart condition that is almost undetectable you will see that he didn't kill his wife... also look at the emotion he shows and the emotion of her family the facts add up to an innocent man; Reply to this comment

by kikiskiks September 25, 2012 4:30 AM EDT

I went to hs with this a$$hole. I completely believe he is guilty. I remember a friend illeged he date-raped her. Seth and Adam (his twin) used to be horrible, horible bullies, and would just terrorize the whole school. Literally walking down the halls and insulting people for no apparent reason. Now I know, you can not make the jump to believing he is a murderer, but you can say he is pretty evil and capable of it!!! I never saw any light or reason in this persons face. Just evil.

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by MariaBriar63 January 13, 2013 11:57 PM EST: I have heard from several others that what kikiskiks is mentioning is true. He was an apparant brutal bully, was thrown out of multiple universities for fighting, and strangled an individual who tried to become a confidential informant. ( this is in the court transcripts). Thanks to his lawyers, this was not allowed into the courtroom. Good lawyers keep the incriminating evidence out at trial. Thats why they get paid millions by these murderers.


by Beejoy1950 June 11, 2012 3:00 AM EDT: It is very hard to really know a person that is on trial because the media may hit on certain things that do not give a true picture of that person. During a tragedy or emergency we don't know how a person is supposed to act. The fact that he did make so many mistakes when he called 911 makes me believe his panic was legitimate. If he killed her he would have planned exactly what to say or not say BEFORE he called but he didn't. He cried, stammered, made stupid mistakes, performed the CPR wrong and reacted as a normal person would--not a murderer. Looking for inconsistencies does not always prove guilt. I think that too many times the husband is accused of killing his spouse. Law enforcement needs to get beyond this preconception and at least "look" at other scenarios. He was innocent and the jury did not come to that conclusion easily. They took their time. End of story--a happy ending.; Reply to this comment


by yetagain June 7, 2012 6:27 AM EDT: i don't believe he was innocent. granted, Florida has a history of faulty investigation, crappy police work, and it continues to go on, which is why he was found not guilty. on the 911, when asked where is she, he said upstairs, (not she's here on the bathroom floor). is she bleeding (no, i don't know) there's foam and blood... huh? there's marks around her neck. yet the defense team and Mike Brooks the contributor of InSession, the former FBI agent, the former EMT, the former fire fighter, and his list goes on, says, the marks all around her neck could have came from CPR. WHAT? what kind of CPR is that? then Mike Brooks goes on to say that, he passed a poly, so that means he's innocent. Socialpaths are great at passing poly's. and Mike should know better. And what's also disturbing, is that... did any of you see the aftermath of the verdict? the pictures, the phone calls, the IPADS coming out taking pics, darn, even Casey Anthony's defense team didn't make themselves look that stupid. they were in the courtroom for a good 30 min. to an hour, just taking pictures... Adam even held up the verdict form and said he was going to frame it... a woman is dead, 2 babies are without their mother, and he's talking about framing a verdict form. the stupid forman stated that the ME wasn't the original medical examiner, so he bought into dr. baden's version, whom by the way, never ever ever saw her body. and i have had plenty of falls in my life, and i don't believe its at all possible to be in sitting position and fall over with an extended neck. floridians are a combination of dummies. the sun must be frying their brains. seriously. and the idiot forman stated that the jury believed that she walked into the bathroom fell down onto the magazine rack, then stood up and fell again. lord have mercy.; Reply to this comment

by yetagain June 7, 2012 5:50 AM EDT

i was disturbed by a few things in this case. on the 911 call he said that she was "upstairs" (why not say she's right here in the bathroom on the floor!), then he said that she has red marks around her neck, then when asked, is she bleeding, he stated he didn't know, or "no" then said yes, and there's foam coming from her mouth. Mike Brooks, (former FBI, former EMT, former Fire Fighter, yada yada yada) an InSession contributor, stated that, well he passed a poly, so that's enough for me to prove he was innocent. really? socialpaths are great at passing poly's. the innocent usually fail. then Mike had the audacity to suggest that her brusing around the front and back of the neck meant that it was from CPR. Idiot. Well this should be a lesson for all of Florida's police departments, do your darn job right the first time. I'm sorry but Florida has a history of the worst police and detective force ever.

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by Quandra1977 June 7, 2012 5:24 PM EDT: I agree with you stark ... he is innocent ....


by stark3923 June 6, 2012 6:53 PM EDT: INNOCENT = yes - i BELIEVE the jury foreman.. this case was very unique. before u decide adam is guilty think about this... strangling 99% of the time breaks the hyroid bone and also the 2 little bones "horns" connected to it. THESE BONES WHERE NOT BROKEN IN LINA NECK. no hand prints around neck. no belt marks around neck. M.E. ruled mechanical strangulation but yet no explanation of WHAT the mechanical was... he said it was NOT manual strangulation. kNOw THE FACTS people; Reply to this comment

by ahendryx819 June 6, 2012 4:09 PM EDT

Vomit. Great, one more wife-murdering sociopath let loose into society, because a "jury" doesn't want to risk HIS rights, never mind the victim's right to justice. RIP Eleanora, and I hope her family can find some kind of peace. As for Kaufman, when he kills again, as he will, I hope he rots in hell for what he's done. Just becuase you get away with murder in this life doesn't mean you will in the next.

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by crotusia June 6, 2012 6:39 PM EDT: Hey, I totally agree, it really is very sad... how can jurors be so stupid and naive? I'm right with you on this, that Neanderthal moron was obviously just out for his own skin, didn;t think about his wife and what happened to her for even one minute. I frankly am frightened to think that guys like him are released like this into society.