MIAMI -- A Coral Gables accountant who solicited his brother to murder his wife will soon learn whether he will be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.

The same jury that last month found Edward Locascio guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Silvia Locascio was back in court Wednesday for the sentencing phase of the trial.

The defense attorney for Edward Locascio opened the day outlining why his client's life should be spared. Attorney David Raben argued that Edward Locascio is "a hard-working professional with an excellent work history" who "has no other significant criminal history" and was "involved in extraordinary community service."

His brother, Michael Locascio, was convicted of Silvia Locascio's murder last year and was sentenced to life in prison.

Prosecutor Gail Levine, who is seeking the death penalty in the case, countered that Edward Locascio "committed this crime in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner."

Present in the courtroom was the couple's son, Edward Locascio Jr., who had testified against both his father and uncle in their respective trials.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution tried to show that Silvia Locascio was involved in an abusive marriage with the defendant. In his father's trial, Edward Locascio Jr. testified that his father "would grope her in her breasts and vagina, he said, to make her feel like meat."

Michael Locascio was arrested just two weeks after Silvia Locascio's body was found on Oct. 30, 2001, but Edward Locascio was not charged with murder until 2005.

On the night of Silvia Locascio's death, police questioned and released both men. She was found beaten and stabbed to death in the breakfast nook of her estate on Granada Boulevard.

Michael Locascio beat his sister-in-law with a baton and then stabbed her with a serrated knife. Police said they used DNA evidence to connect him to the crime.

Police said that physical evidence also led to the murder indictment against Edward Locascio.