BOSTON -- The trial began Tuesday in the case of a Hull man accused of overdosing his daughter with psychiatric drugs.

Michael Riley is charged in the 2006 death of 4-year-old Rebecca. Last month, a jury found his wife, Carolyn Riley, guilty of the same charge.

Prosecutors said in an attempt to collect disability benefits, the couple concocted symptoms of mental illness in Rebecca. The couple received about $2,000 per month in Social Security benefits.

During opening statements, the prosecutor told jurors Riley abused his children.

"He told his dying girl to get the 'F' out of here back to your room, and he pushed her down the hallway," prosecutor Frank Middleton said.

According to the prosecutor, witnesses will testify during the trial that the girl's father showed no emotion when he found her dead and when he attended her wake.

"Laughing, smiling, no tears, no sadness," Middleton said.

Defense lawyers said his client didn't react properly because he suffers from bi-polar disorder. The defense claims Rebecca died of a fast-moving pneumonia and not a drug overdose.

The girl was found dead on the floor of her parents' bedroom in December 2006.