AKRON, Ohio -- Testimony in Donna Moonda's murder trial ended yesterday with a whimper.

A guide to the Moonda case Previous Post-Gazette articles, photos and graphics, plus federal court documents, are available on our Moonda index page. Listen in Staff writer Milan Simonich reports from Akron, Ohio, on the trial.

Mrs. Moonda elected not to testify in her own behalf, so her lawyers rested their case after putting on a defense that lasted just six hours.

Federal prosecutors needed seven days to present their case, and they are not quite finished. They plan to call rebuttal witnesses Monday, which should be the final day of testimony.

Mrs. Moonda's lead attorney, Roger Synenberg, said he offered all the witnesses he thought necessary.

"We don't have to prove anything," he said after he left the courtroom.

Mrs. Moonda, 48, of Mercer County, Pa., still might end up speaking to the jury. If she is convicted, her trial would proceed to a second phase in which jurors would decide whether to sentence her to death or life in prison.

She is charged with murder for hire and three related felonies in the May 2005 shooting death of her husband, Dr. Gulam Moonda.

Damian Bradford, 25, with whom Mrs. Moonda was having an affair, killed the doctor on the Ohio Turnpike. Mrs. Moonda was an eyewitness to the murder. Mrs. Moonda's lawyers say Mr. Bradford disguised himself so thoroughly that she did not recognize him, even though they had been romantically involved for a year.

A dozen of Dr. Moonda's friends and relatives were in court yesterday. One of them, Ravi Sachdeva, was subpoenaed by the defense and testified briefly. He previously was a witness for the prosecution.

In an interview after leaving court, Dr. Sachdeva, a surgeon, said he thought the government had proved its case against Mrs. Moonda.

"Hopefully, this will be decided in the prosecution's favor," he said.

Dr. Sachdeva and his wife, Margie, were friends of Gulam and Donna Moonda. Initially, Dr. Sachdeva said, he did not suspect Donna Moonda.

Mr. Bradford, who pleaded guilty last year and was a witness against Mrs. Moonda, was one of those who caused Dr. Sachdeva to change his view. Mr. Bradford said Mrs. Moonda wanted her husband dead so she could collect millions in inheritance.

Asked if believed Mr. Bradford, Dr. Sachdeva said, "Yes, I do."

The defense spent most its time yesterday trying to bolster its contention that Mrs. Moonda did not recognize Mr. Bradford. She told police the killer drove a dark minivan, so Mr. Synenberg called three witnesses who offered different stories about vans.

Mr. Bradford, though, said he tailed the Moondas in a silver TrailBlazer. He said Mrs. Moonda knew his TrailBlazer well, as she bought it for him and made the $3,000 down payment.

The strongest defense witness might have been Kimberly Schleeper of Elyria, Ohio. She said she was driving home from work the day of the murder when two vehicles passed her at high speed and then pulled off the turnpike, kicking up dirt. She said one of the vehicles was a luxury car and one was a green minivan.

But Ms. Schleeper also said the minivan was in front of the luxury car. Mrs. Moonda's story is that the killer in the minivan was behind her.

Another witness, Brenda Hipkins of Tallmadge, Ohio, said she saw two vehicles, a light-colored sedan and a dark van, on the roadside.

She said she saw a man in dark clothing but acknowledged she initially told police she thought the man was white. Mr. Bradford is black.

Both women were interviewed by prosecutors, who then gave their names to the defense.

Mr. Synenberg also made a strange attempt to link a van owned by a Pennsylvania woman to the killing. To do this, he called Jason Fye of Baden, Pa., who said Mr. Bradford asked to borrow his car the day of the murder.

But Mr. Fye said he never loaned Mr. Bradford his car, a silver Chevrolet Cavalier. Undeterred, Mr. Synenberg produced records showing that Mr. Fye's mother owns a blue van. Then he tried to imply that this van could have been used by Mr. Bradford.

On cross-examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Barr asked Mr. Fye if Mr. Bradford had ever driven or borrowed the van. He never did, Mr. Fye said.

After testimony ends Monday, U.S. District Judge David Dowd plans to recess the trial until Thursday. He previously had promised jurors a day off on Wednesday, the Fourth of July. Judge Dowd said he thought it wise to delay closing arguments until after the holiday.

Jurors should get the case Thursday afternoon. Judge Dowd said they will be sequestered once they start their deliberations.