Bail for a 55-year-old family doctor accused of killing his wife was halved Wednesday from $150,000 to $75,000.

Through his attorney, Dr. Timothy Werner had asked to pay a $5,000 bond, the same amount he paid when he was first arrested after the 2004 shooting death of Sara Werner. That murder charge was dismissed in 2006 after the Dallas County district attorney's office chose not to prosecute the case.

Last week, Farmers Branch police re-arrested Dr. Werner and charged him with the same crime after the district attorney's office reviewed the fatal shooting.

Sarah Raza, Dr. Werner's girlfriend of six months, testified during the bail reduction hearing Wednesday that if he's able to pay the bond he would live with her in Richardson.

"He would never hurt anyone," Ms. Raza, 50, said after the 30-minute hearing. She and a family that hired Dr. Werner to care for their son, who is a paraplegic, attended the hearing to offer support.

JIM MAHONEY/DMN

Dr. Timothy Werner, who attended a bail-reduction hearing Wednesday, was re-arrested last week after the DA reviewed the fatal shooting of his wife.

After learning that state District Judge Rick Magnis had reduced Dr. Werner's bail, Ms. Raza quietly clapped her hands. She said she did not want to comment further until she has had a chance to talk to her boyfriend and his attorney, Reed Prospere.

Farmers Branch police investigators have said that they believed all along that foul play led to Ms. Werner's death, even though her husband had reported it as a suicide. Ms. Werner, a 47-year-old nurse at the time, was struggling with drugs and alcohol, but was about to enter a rehabilitation program and was planning to change her life, her family has said.

According to police documents, authorities believe that Dr. Werner shot Ms. Werner in the shoulder with a .357 Magnum from less than 46 inches, then took a shower and tried to hide his blood-stained clothes. There was also gunshot residue on one of Dr. Werner's shirts in the clothes hamper, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Dallas County prosecutors said last week that they have new evidence against Dr. Werner – who was arrested at the Dallas Family Medicine clinic on Skillman Street where he practiced – but they have refused to release details.

According to the Texas Medical Board, Dr. Werner has a history of depression and alcohol abuse. He's accused of giving his wife controlled substances knowing that she had a drug abuse problem.

Soon after his wife's death, Dr. Werner's license was suspended for six months. In 2006, the suspension was lifted and Dr. Werner was placed on 10 years' probation. Last month, the state board reprimanded the doctor for failing to comply with parts of his 2006 probation.

The Werners met on the Internet and had been married 11 months when the shooting occurred.

A profile for Dr. Werner was posted on the Yahoo Personals dating Web site this week with the title, "Tall Gentle Recovered Widower seeks..."

On the profile, four photographs of Dr. Werner are displayed. One shows him sitting next to a blond woman with her face cropped out of the picture. The profile also includes a description of Dr. Werner and what he's looking for in a mate. He described himself as a "stable medical professional" who likes art museums, movies at small venues and concerts, and would like to take dancing classes.

At the end of the dating profile, it reads: "Best days are yet to come. My career is rebooting and I am like a shuttle on the launching pad. ... Want to come aboard for the ride? It is going to be a great flight. Timothy."