Queens Woman Who Killed Husband Is Sentenced to 5 Years on Gun Charge

[alp227]

Source: NYT

A Queens woman who killed her husband after suffering years of abuse at his hands was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison, less than the maximum sentence of 15 years, but short of her request for further leniency.

The woman, Barbara Sheehan, had shot her husband, Raymond Sheehan, 11 times in their home in Howard Beach in February 2008; although she used two guns, she claimed that she fired in self-defense after he had first threatened her life with one of the guns. Ms. Sheehan was acquitted of murder, but convicted of gun possession — the second gun that she used that day.

Acting Justice Barry Kron of State Supreme Court in Queens acknowledged that Ms. Sheehan was no doubt affected by the cumulative toll of two decades of domestic abuse, but he said the sentence had to reflect the crime committed during the course of the killing. Jurors had found Ms. Sheehan guilty of gun possession because she had used the weapon after he no longer posed a danger, since she had already shot him several times with a different gun.

Before the sentence was given, Linda Sheehan, the wife of Raymond Sheehan’s twin brother Vincent, urged the judge to remember that Barbara Sheehan was the criminal, not the victim in this case.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/nyregion/barbara-sheehan-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison.html

[AtheistCrusader]

1. I would have nullified the SHIT out of that case.

[SteveM]

3. If it had only been a politically-more-acceptable knife. nt

[monmouth]

2. Credit for time served. Go home, enjoy your life without that bast**d around...n/t

[SwissTony]

4. There were two victims here...

"A Queens woman who killed her husband after suffering years of abuse at his hands..."

"Before the sentence was given, Linda Sheehan, the wife of Raymond Sheehan’s twin brother Vincent, urged the judge to remember that Barbara Sheehan was the criminal, not the victim in this case."

I saw spousal abuse closeup. My father often used to beat up my mother. He'd also pick on us, but my mother would get in between and she'd get the thumps. My mother was tough (she had to be). And thankfully so.

I wasn't fond of my father, to say the least.

11 bullets and 2 guns is probably at bit much, but I understand the motivation.

[julian09]

5. He was victim once, she endured two decades of abuse

she only killed him once.

[AtheistCrusader]

6. If he was still moving

I would argue the second gun could well have been justified.

An enraged attacker can keep coming at you, even when shot, until you hit the central nervous system (Brain/spine), break the skeleton(Shatter the pelvis), or they run out of hydraulic fluid.

I don't know for sure he was still moving. If not, she might only be guilty of desecrating a corpse, depending.

[slackmaster]

7. Stupid gun law is stupid

:nuke: