OAKLAND, Calif. -- A software programmer on trial in the death of his wife showed a flash of emotion as he talked about having his children taken into protective custody.

Hans Reiser's eyes reddened and his voice quavered Thursday after defense attorney William Du Bois asked him how he reacted to losing the children after his wife went missing.

"My kids love me so much," Reiser said, pausing to regain his composure. "It's just a simple, pure, uncomplicated love that they have for me."

Reiser, 44, is charged with killing Nina Reiser, who hasn't been seen since dropping the couple's two children off at Hans Reiser's home on Sept. 3, 2006.

No body has been found and the defense has suggested Nina Reiser might be alive and living in her native Russia.

Prosecutors have called witnesses who say Nina Reiser would never abandon her children. They also say DNA and other evidence points to Reiser.

Among the circumstantial evidence: Reiser's car was found with the front passenger seat missing and with two books about murder inside. When he was arrested in October 2006 he had a fanny pack containing a passport and several thousand dollars in cash.

Reiser has sought to explain those facts.

He said earlier he took the seat out to make it more comfortable to sleep in the car.

On Thursday, he said he bought the books because he realized that he was under suspicion and wanted to read up on the topic. He said he paid cash when buying the books because he said he didn't want to leave a record. In fact, store surveillance cameras captured his purchase.

Reiser said he had withdrawn substantial amounts of cash from his accounts because he needed to pay various bills and was concerned police might seize his assets. He said he habitually carried a passport around because he traveled extensively.

Much of the testimony earlier in the day centered on the couple's contentious custody dispute after Nina Reiser filed for divorce in 2004 following five years of marriage.

Reiser contradicted prosecutors' portrayal of Nina Reiser as a devoted mother, calling her manipulative and deceptive and saying she used flattery to "work" people.

Also Thursday, Judge Larry Goodman ordered attorneys in the case not to talk to the media. The prosecutor hasn't been talking, but defense attorneys have been giving interviews outside the courtroom to reporters drawn by Reiser's testimony.

The trial is set to resume March 17.