gender injustice: sheehan

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Gender Injustice: Sheehan
Barbara Sheehan is a woman who was accused of killing her husband, Raymond. The trial began in 9th September 2011 at the Queens Supreme Court. At the pretrial stage in making the opening statements, Dowd attorney for the defendant argued that his client was threatened by her husband with a gun and she was trying to escape when the incident happened. The particulars according to the defense were that the mother of two had her life at risk since her husband wanted to beat her on the morning of 18th February 2008 (“Execution or Self-defense?”). After the bitter altercation with her husband on that particular morning, she snatched his pistol from him and shot him as she defended herself. On the other hand, the prosecution refuted the claims by the defense arguing that Barbara murdered her husband mercilessly as he was shaving. The prosecution further urged the jury to find that the marital disagreement between Barbara and Raymond did not grant her the right to murder him.
In response, the defendant argued that it was Raymond who started the quarrel which led to his death. When he saw Barbara trying to leave home, he provoked her, and she shot him at least five times. The husband was furious, and as he tried to reach for his gun which had fallen on the floor, Barbara grabbed it and shot at him six more times (“Execution or Self-defense?”). The defense case was mainly centered on the emotional and physical abuse which Barbara claimed she had suffered from her husband for close to two decades.

She also referred to a scenario a day before slaying when her husband allegedly broke her nose.
The jury which was composed of nine women and three men acquitted Barbara of murder but convicted her of illegal possession of a gun. She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Essentially, the trial process composed of the arrest and arraigning of Barbara to court. This was followed by the opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense which was followed by the hearing then verdict.
Works cited
Case 3: “Execution or Self-defense?” When Women Kill their Partners.