CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The trial of a Cleveland woman

the father of two of her children by spiking his tea with antifreeze starts today in

A grand jury indicted Holly McFeeture last July on one count of aggravated murder and another of contaminating a substance for human consumption or use.

A pathologist with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, who performed the autopsy on Matthew Podolak in 2006, determined that Podolak died from chronic intoxication of ethylene glycol, the active ingredient in antifreeze.

Podolak's death was not ruled a homicide until 2010, after Cleveland police received a tip that ruled out suicide and accidental death.

Dr. Dan Galita said during a pretrial hearing Monday that cases of chronic ethylene glycol poisoning are exceedingly rare, but that he believes it was the cause of Podolak's death, in part, because the condition of his heart at autopsy was consistent with intoxication over several weeks.

But attorneys for McFeeture claim Podolak died from acute, not chronic, poisoning and argued during the hearing that Galita should not be allowed to testify as to the cause of death because his opinion is not based on sound science.

The attorneys had an expert witness, Dr. Robert Bux, coroner for El Paso County, Colo., testify by video at the hearing to rebut Galita. Bux said he examined the evidence and determined Podolak's intoxication was acute and that there was plenty of evidence to suggest he ingested the sweet, odorless poison intentionally to kill himself.

Judge Brian Corrigan ruled this morning that Galita will be allowed to testify.

Matthew Podolak died at Parma Community General Hospital after becoming seriously ill. Five days prior, he went to his doctor complaining of pain and was given medication for kidney stones, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brian McDonough said last year.

McDonough also said at the time that he believed McFeeture wanted to kill Podolak, her fiance at the time, to get out of the relationship.

"We believe the antifreeze was administered in sweet raspberry iced tea that he would drink daily," he said.

Podolak's older brother, Mark, said in an interview last year that his family long suspected McFeeture had something to do with Matthew's death.

Matthew Podolak loved to hunt and fish and played varsity hockey at Brooklyn High School, his brother said. He also was a devoted father to his children.

"He was the nicest dude and he cared so much for his kids," Mark Podolak said.