Violent crimes between domestic partners are a common problem that in the criminal justice system. In some cases, the physical injury inflicted rises to a level serious enough to require a substantial prison sentence. In one Arkansas case out of Shelby County, a 22-year-old woman may be facing a homicide charge after pumping five bullets into the back of her ex-boyfriend. The victim is reported to be in stable but serious condition at the Regional One medical facility. If he survives, she may be charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possible related charges.
The motive for the shooting is unknown at this time. The woman is reported to have fired 12 shots at the 22-year-old male victim at around 4 p.m. on July 17. Five of those shots went into the man’s back
Apparently, there were witnesses present during the shooting but that is not yet confirmed. The accused reportedly left the scene and was being sought for several hours prior to being found at a West Memphis motel, where she was arrested by authorities. The charges against her are still unknown as the police continue to put together their investigation of the events.
If the woman is indeed the shooter, then the circumstances of her relationship with the victim will be a top concern for her defense counsel. Attempted murder could carry a substantial prison sentence, and counsel will be looking for all ameliorating facts that may create empathy with the accused. If she was motivated by a recognized and justifiable act of passion, the charges may be reduced to attempted manslaughter, which could carry a far lesser period of incarceration. If counsel is able to raise several legitimate mitigating circumstances in favor of the accused, the final outcome may be a plea agreement to aggravated assault or even something less imposing. The final outcome in Arkansas and elsewhere is always dependent on the nature of the facts that are turned up during the criminal investigation.
Source: myfoxmemphis.com, “SCSO locate, arrest woman who went missing after allegedly shoot“, July 17, 2015