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05/04/2006Prosecutors, defense offer contrasting portrayalsOpening arguments in murder trial in BeulahAssociated Press Writer 
Members of the jury in the murder case against Mark Unger stand on a wooden deck as they look over the crime scene Wednesday at Lower Herring Lake, south of Elberta. Unger, 45 is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Florence Unger. BEULAH — Mark Unger returned to the scene of his wife's death Wednesday afternoon to retrace his steps following opening arguments in his first-degree murder trial. A state prosecutor told the Benzie County Circuit Court jury that the evidence would show that a struggle broke out as the Ungers stood together on a wooden deck the night of Oct. 24, 2003. Unger, 45, of Huntington Woods, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Florence Unger. Her body was found at the edge of Lower Herring Lake at the Watervale Resort the next morning. In opening statements, the prosecutor urged jurors to convict Mark Unger of murdering his wife, depicting him as an angry, erratic man concerned primarily with his own survival. Unger's lawyer said his client was a loving husband and that his wife's death was an accident. "The defendant would rather save his own rear end than attempt to save another human being — his own wife," said Donna Pendergast, an assistant state attorney general leading the prosecution team. Defense attorney Robert Harrison said Unger never was violent toward his wife. Harrison described her death as accidental. "This case is about a modern-day family tragedy — a tragedy that occurred in this case totally and completely because of an accident," Harrison told jurors. Florence Unger plunged over the deck railing to a concrete slab 12 feet below, Pendergast said. Mark Unger then moved her into the water, where she drowned, Pendergast said. The couple, who were going through a divorce, and their two children were on a weekend trip to the resort, about 40 miles southwest of Traverse City. Mark Unger's erratic behavior and inconsistent statements caused police to suspect him, Pendergast said. She said circumstantial evidence from the scene pointed in Unger's direction. Pendergast showed jurors photos of a smiling Florence Unger standing outdoors as well as photos of her corpse. Mark Unger did not look at the display, instead looking straight ahead and without emotion. See Related Stories:
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