Twitchell's ex-wife takes the stand

Jess Twitchell, ex-wife of Mark Twitchell took the stand today, testifying that the couple were living very separate lives at the time of Altinger's disappearance.

She slept in the upstairs bedroom of their St. Albert home with her nine-month-old daughter and Mark slept in the basement.

At that time, she said, Mark was supposed to be seeing a psychiatrist about martial and emotional issues he was having. The couple was also supposed to be in counseling together.

Twitchell had started a production company called Xpress Entertainment and was involved in a few movie projects, she said. "He was selling scripts and having projects in development, but he wasn't making any money."

Jess said that he was working on a project in September 2008 which was shot in an Edmonton garage. "It was supposed to be a horror film. It was inspired by some of the martial problems we were having," she said.

Jess Twitchell testified that on October 10, 2008, Mark went to his therapy session as scheduled and then called him two hours later. He said that he had been at the gym.

The next day, Jess Twitchell described her husband's mood as normal, and spent the entire day with him. Their baby stayed with their in-laws as they went on a date.

Less than a month later, police arrived at their St. Albert home and told Jess Twitchell they thought Mark had been involved in a murder. Jess Twitchell gathered some items for the baby and then went to stay at her mother's.

She has not seen her ex-husband since that time.

Mark Twitchell is accused of first degree murder in the death of John Altinger, who was allegedly lured to a garage in south Edmonton under the impression of a date with someone named Jenn whom he had met on an internet dating site.

With files from Vinesh Pratap and the Edmonton Journal