Ms. Alexander was sentenced to TWENTY YEARS in prison for firing a warning shot in her home as self defense against her abusive husband. At the time of the incident Ms. Alexander had an active restraining order against her husband and a license to carry a concealed weapon. So why did she get twenty years. According to the ruling judge she endangered the lives of her two children ( even though no on was hurt in any capacity) and the judge narrowly defined what self defense meant to the jury. So she was found guilty on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The one good outcome from the Zimmerman trial was it caste a BIGGG microscope on the discrepancies in self defense stand your ground laws in Florida. How could a woman acting in self defense against her abusive husband get twenty years in prison with no one getting hurt ????? But a man who killed an unarmed teenage boy is set free is justice really being served or is stand your ground laws being to vague interrupted in some cases and not in others
WELLL......
Ms. Alexander is getting a NEW TRIAL!!!!!
It is good to see some public attention being brought to a case flawed with errors here is a quote from the 1st District Court of Appeals even admitting to errors in the trial.
"The 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee said in Thursday's ruling that the trial judge made a "fundamental error" when he instructed the jury that Alexander was required to prove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt."
Youtube Click of Marissa Alexander being interviewed by CNN (prior to sentencing)
MSNBC comments on Marissa Alexander case
What a great story. I hadn't heard this one before, but it does bring up some very important topics, not only about the stand your ground law and the associated publicity, but also brings attention to battered women and the inefficiencies of the system that is supposedly in place to protect them such as the ineffective restraining order.
ReplyDeleteGiven the circumstances it seems obvious that she was under either imminent or implied threat so good for her for defending herself, her home, and her children and hopefully her next trial will bring justice and reunite her with her child.
Janell,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I had never heard of the Marissa Alexander case until reading your blog, but based off the information you've presented it seems to me that her sentencing was too harsh. I'm not sure of the details of the story, but it's amazing what the power of social media and the news can have on the judicial system. Unfortunately, majority of the cases do not receive the kind of attention that Casey Anthony, George Zimmerman, and now Marissa Alexander get. Hopefully more people who have been wronged by the judicial system will get a second chance just as Marissa Alexander has been given.
I heard about this story on numerous radio shows and online other places and its very good that the media can come together to bring justice forth. I think that it is very unfortunate that some judges are instructing juries improperly and handing down incorrect sentences (like the case in your last post). I think that these judges should be held accountable. They are suppose to uphold justice and I get a sense that they are not taking that duty seriously. I also think that since the stand your ground law is so vague that FL should repeal it or rewrite it.
ReplyDeleteJanell, great post! I just learned of this from your post. The judicial procedures of Florida continue to confound me. My question is: 20 years??? Some criminals with second or first degree manslaughter convictions or armed robbery do not get that much. I don't understand what message the judge was trying to convey (aside from maybe that he should not be a judge). It is good to see that the media is on occasion doing its job of covering stories that need to be covered. But let's be clear. It was the people who started a revolt against this decision; not the media. This is a good lesson for everyone; in the end, the media does not bring justice, people do. The media just helps facilitate its deliverance.
ReplyDeleteI followed this story briefly and had mixed feelings on her story. As a mother I did kind of feel that Yes, she called it a warning shot that she could of accidently shot in killed her kids while doing so. However, 20 years prison sentence just don't sit well with me at all. I think that the stand your ground law is too complicated and needs to be revised or done with all together.
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