Handyman testifies that Bashara forced him to kill wife at gunpoint

A dramatic day of testimony as handyman Joe Gentz, took the stand Thursday in the Bob Bashara murder case of his wife Jane.

In convicted killer Joe Gentz's own words, he describes the crime:

"It was in the garage with Jane Bashara and Bob," Gentz said. "After he pulled a gun he told me to kill her."

There were times when Gentz struggled to find the words - allegedly his own words - as he read from a statement he gave before he was sentenced.

"So I broke into his home, walked into the garage and Jane Bashara caught me and I lost control -  no that's a lie," he said.

Thursday's hearing was a quest for new evidence to see if Bob Bashara should get a new trial. Would this story be believable.

"Next thing I know he pulls the gun and says 'Shut her up' they were arguing still," Gentz said. "And he says, 'Do it now.' So I broke her neck, yes. To be honest, I did do that."

Joseph Gentz's version puts Bob Bashara with Gentz when the murder of Bob's wife Jane happened. A claim that Bashara's attorney says is untrue and therefore should be reason enough for a new trial.

"We looked at the facts of the case," said Ronald Ambrose, Bashara's attorney. "The testimony of the case, who Bob Bashara was with at the time all of this transpired, he's not at 552 Middlesex."

But why would Gentz do this? He is in the middle of a 15-year sentence, a plea deal that he threw away the second he got on the stand and opened himself up to perjury charges which carries a life sentence.

"I've been called a rat," Gentz said. "What do they do with rats in prison - they kill you."

FOX 2: "He doesn't think he'll last the 15 years in other words."

"Well, he's questioned whether he will," said John Holler, Gentz's attorney. "If someone sticks you with a homemade shank, you're dead."

Gentz is expected to be back on the stand, he is expected to be back in court on May 10.