Wife killer Michael Haim spends 1st day in prison

Appeal of sentence pending; defense claims it violates 1993 guidelines

Florida Department of Corrections booking photo shows him without glasses and with less hair than when he was sentenced in a Duval County courtroom last month.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Convicted killer Michael Haim is spending his first full day in prison.

Haim, convicted in April of killing his wife, Bonnie, in 1993, was picked up from the Duval County jail Monday afternoon and taken into Florida Department of Corrections custody to begin serving his life sentence.

Haim, 53, will remain at the Lake Butler Reception and Medical Center for several weeks, where he will undergo various screenings before he’s assigned to a prison. 

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Attorneys for Michael Haim have filed a notice of appeal the life sentence for second-degree murder. Among other grounds, Haim’s lawyers argue that the sentence violates the guidelines in place when the crime occurred. In 1993, the recommended sentence was seven to 22 years in prison.

The notice of appeal also cites a statement the couple's son, Aaron Fraser, gave to police when he was 3 years old, in which he told investigators “daddy hurt mommy.” The document characterizes it as hearsay.

Haim’s attorneys also contend the judge should have granted their motion for direct acquittal, that the guilty verdict wasn’t supported by evidence and that their defense was rushed.

Bonnie Haim's skull and other skeletal remains were unearthed in 2014 when Aaron Fraser dug up their backyard while doing home repairs to the property he won from his father in a wrongful death lawsuit.