A judge has issued a ruling about testimony that will not be allowed in court in the trial of Julie Schenecker.
Schenecker, 53, is charged with first degree murder in the 2011 shooting deaths of her children, 16-year-old Calyx and 13-year-old Beau.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Emmett L. Battles has granted a defense motion to exclude testimony on an incident where Julie Schenecker slapped her daughter and another incident in 2010 where Julie crashed her car while allegedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
According to partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, Battles ruled the incidents are "too remote to be relevant."
Prosecutors say Schenecker shot her children because she was tired of them talking back to her.
She is scheduled to go to trial April 28 and her attorneys plan to pursue an insanity defense. According to her attorneys, Julie Schenecker has a history of mental illness.
Battles did say if mental health experts decide that those details are relevant to the killings, they would be allowed in court.
Prosecutors recently took the death penalty off the table, saying there was enough evidence to prove Schenecker is mentally ill. However, she still faces life in prison.
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