Anthony Darrell Heath, enraged that Angela Steigerwalt had changed her mind about taking him to a child custody hearing, on Jan. 31, 2014, strangled her with an electrical cord in his apartment, then shopped for a plastic tote, lighter fluid and a lighter, First Assistant Lehigh County District Attorney Steven Luksa said.

Then, Luksa said in his opening statement Wednesday at Heath's trial, he used more wire to bind her body in a fetal position so it would fit into the tote.Near dawn on Feb. 1, Heath, 26, of Allentown, loaded the tote into the back seat of Steigerwalt's car, drove to Flagstaff Road in Jim Thorpe, slid the container over the edge of a steep embankment, and set Steigerwalt's body on fire and headed to North Carolina.Her charred remains, the wire still wrapped tightly around her neck, were discovered by firefighters who were putting out the brush fire sparked by her burning body.A plastic Walmart bag with the receipt was found on Steigerwalt's body, evidence that linked Heath to her death.Luksa had told the jury Heath's actions were intentional, that he meant to kill Steigerwalt, 35, of Tamaqua, and then "methodically went about to cover it up.""It wasn't an accident. It wasn't an oops. It wasn't a sexual misadventure. It's first-degree murder," Luksa said.It didn't happen that way at all, Heath countered in his own opening statement.Steigerwalt's death was an accident, he told the jurors."A tragic incident. Not an incident that I planned. An incident that I did not foresee, ever. I literally died within myself," he said.He disposed of her body and fled because, "I made a mistake. I got scared, I panicked," he said. "I'm sorry."Several versionsWednesday was the first day of Heath's trial before Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach on charges of first degree homicide, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, receiving stolen property, access device fraud, abuse of a corpse and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He is in Lehigh County prison without bail.The trial continues today.Heath, acting as his own lawyer, with the help of Chief Public Defender Kim Makoul and Public Defender Kate Smith, vowed to take the stand to testify in his own defense."I wanted to let Mr. Steigerwalt and his family know I am not a monster," he said, referring to Steigerwalt's husband, Gary, and her relatives.According to court documents, Heath and Steigerwalt had known each other for about a year, and had a sexual relationship.Police believe Steigerwalt was killed after going to Heath's apartment on Jan. 31 after her 3-11 p.m. shift at Kraft Foods in Allentown.He dumped her body and set it ablaze on Feb. 1, then headed to North Carolina.On Feb. 2, 2014, state troopers tracked Heath to North Carolina by the car's On-Star function and the help of local police there. They went to retrieve Heath, who was charged on Feb. 7, 2014.As they drove back to Pennsylvania, Heath's recounting of the events of the previous two days changed several times, Luksa said.In one version, he "blacked out" after a sexual encounter with Steigerwalt that night, and woke to find her dead, a wire wrapped around her neck.In another, he recalled strangling her with the wire after they talked about the custody hearing and she refused to take him. He said he pulled on the cord for about 10 minutes."It seemed like forever," Luksa quoted him as saying. "I didn't want to look at her face. I just pulled."Later, he said he put a bag over her head so he wouldn't have to see her, according to Luksa.In yet another version, Steigerwalt was still alive, and Heath spoke with her a couple of times that weekend because she had loaned him her car to visit relatives in North Carolina.Another change had Heath telling the troopers Steigerwalt was trying to escape an abusive husband, and that he was looking for a place for them to move to in North Carolina, Luksa said.He said Heath's actions following Steigerwalt's death point to a deliberate attempt to deflect blame.At 1:38 a.m. Feb. 1, Heath used Steigerwalt's phone to text his own phone, typing "Can't make it tonight. Husband's giving me problems," Luksa said.Denies guiltIn his opening statement, Heath admitted to a charge of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, but denied being guilty of the other charges.He said Steigerwalt had let him use her car he even had his own key and the credit card he used to buy the tote, lighter and lighter fluid at Walmart.He asked jurors to "keep an open mind" as they listened to testimony.Heath also referred to the graphic photos that would be presented during the trial, including photos of Steigerwalt's charred corpse."I was very hurt" he said of seeing the images.He disputed Luksa's statements, saying "There was no angry conversation, no malice."Steigerwalt's death, he said, "took me to a very low place where I had never been, and hope to God never to go again."Later, during testimony, Heath extensively questioned forensic pathologist Michael Johnson of Forensic Pathology Associates, who performed the autopsy on Steigerwalt.He testified that she died of ligature strangulation.Heath questioned Johnson at length on what tissue samples he had taken, how they were packaged, and to whom they were given.Heath said his own pathologist had called the practice's office seeking a sample of thyroid cartilage, but was told none was available.Heath also questioned Johnson about where the flattening of Steigerwalt's trachea could have been due to a natural deformity and whether the furrow left by the wire could have instead been caused by the fire.Other witnesses included Robert Romanchik, who was driving on Flagstaff Road the morning of Feb. 1 and saw the smoke and brush fire; two Jim Thorpe firefighters who described an odd smell at the brush fire and described the blaze as "unusually hot;" odontologist Richard M. Scanlon, who compared Steigerwalt's dental records to the burned remains and found that fillings, restorations, roots, and an unusual impacted canine tooth matched, indicating the remains were Steigerwalt's.Police initially believed the remains were of Holly Grimm, a Lower Macungie woman who went missing in November 2013, and has yet to be found.Also testifying was state trooper John Corrigan of the Hazleton barracks, who is part of the forensic services unit. He described how he gathered and documented evidence at the site where Steigerwalt's body was found.Key players in the trialDay one of Anthony Heath's trial in Lehigh County Court in the Jan. 31, 2014, death of Angela Steigerwalt, 35, of Tamaqua:Judge: Kelly L. BanachProsecutor: First Assistant District Attorney Steven M. LuksaStandby counsel for Heath: Chief Public Defender Kim Makoul and public defender Kate SmithPennsylvania State Trooper John Corrigan of Troop N's Forensic Services Unit, who described how he collects and documented evidence from the site where Steigerwalt's body was found.Odontologist Richard M. Scanlon, who identified Steigerwalt through dental records.Forensic pathologist Michael W. Johnson, whoperformed the autopsy on Steigerwalt and determined her death to have been caused by ligature strangulation.Robert Romanchik, who discovered the brush fire off Flagstaff Road in Jim Thorpe that started from Heath allegedly setting Steigerwalt's body on fire.Jim Thorpe firefighters Kodie Pituch and John Leinthall, who described the odd smell and unusually intense heat of the blaze.