Tensions between families sparked Friday in Fourth District Court during Conrad Truman’s new trial.

Conrad Truman, 34, is charged with first-degree felony murder and second-degree felony obstruction of justice in connection with the 2012 death of his wife, Heidy.

Truman was convicted of murder in October 2014. However, he was granted a new trial in early August 2016 after it was ruled that inaccurate evidence was presented at trial.

State witnesses have been testifying throughout this first week of the trial, including police officers and first responders. On Friday afternoon, Colette Dahl, Truman’s sister, and Rachel Wagner, Heidy Truman’s sister-in-law, testified largely of how the untimely death impacted the family ties and how suspicions blossomed into murder charges.

Dahl has stood by her brother relentlessly from the beginning in 2012. As Sam Pead, deputy Utah County attorney phrased it, she felt “substantially different,” about the outcome of the case than the prosecution.

Her feelings were fairly obvious, as her interaction with Pead was anything if not heated.

“I know that he’s your brother here,” Pead said. “I need you to answer the question.”

Dahl said the Trumans had an enviable relationship and her brother was always loving to his wife, randomly buying her flowers, sending gifts and leaving love notes.

“Conrad was that guy that always gets boyfriends and husbands in trouble,” Dahl joked.

Ann Taliaferro of the defense showed Dahl several photos of the Truman home, with pictures of their wedding scattered around the house. Dahl again said to the jury that the two loved each other.

She described that on the night of Heidy Truman’s death, the couple had “a tiff over dogs and sandwiches,” not an argument as has been described.

The tension between the Trumans and Heidy’s family, the Wagners, was palpable. Dahl said a separate obituary had been published with Heidy Truman’s maiden name, Wagner. And every so often, Dahl or her brother would go to Heidy Truman’s grave and find adhesive letters spelling “Wagner” over her last name.

“They outright accused my brother of taking Heidy’s life,”

In fact, when people began accusing Truman of involvement in his wife’s death, Dahl became irate and took to Facebook to express her frustration and speculation on what she believed had happened. And Rachel Wagner was not happy about it.

The two had a long conversation over Facebook about the post, which Wagner felt was in poor taste. Dahl agreed and had deleted the post.

Heidy Truman had lived with Wagner for a couple years in her late teens while she attended Utah Valley University; the two were close. Wagner said she was “always having fun and smiling.”

But Heidy Truman’s relationship with her own family may not have been ideal. According to Taliaferro, Heidy Truman had practically moved in with another family in her early teens, which Wagner characterized as a “second family.” Taliaferro implied that Heidy Truman did so because she was mad at her mother for never telling her who her biological father was. Wagner could not confirm if she was with this other family spitefully.

At some point, Heidy Truman’s “second family” was accused in court by one of her sisters and Heidy Truman had to testify against her. Taliaferro said after testifying against her sister, Heidy Truman’s mother wanted to disown her.

“My family would never disown Heidy,” Wagner said.

Taliaferro asked if Heidy Truman was ever suicidal, to which Wagner denied.

Wagner spoke with Conrad Truman days after Heidy Truman’s death, saying she was suspicious of his role in her death. She then emailed the context of the conversation to Det. Tom Wallace of the Orem Police Department.

“That wasn’t a plan, that was just something you decided to do,” Taliaferro said, to which Wagner agreed.

Testimony will continue Tuesday.