Bitter Las Vegas Custody Battle Ends In Shooting

After a long and tumultuous marriage followed by an equally acrimonious divorce, a woman was acquitted of the murder of her husband after she told the court she shot him in self-defense.

During her trial, the lengthy custody battle between the former wife and husband was brought up by both sides of the courtroom. After being married for nearly a decade, over the course of which the husband filed for divorce at least twice before changing his mind, the couple finally split for good. In the next four years, the couple waged a never-ending war in the courtroom, constantly fighting over the details of the child custody agreement, alimony payments, and visitation rights.

The contentious divorce came to a head in February, after a series of especially vicious accusations from both sides. The husband had claimed that his ex-wife was withholding the children from him; she in turn claimed that he had been neglecting them and was physically and emotionally abusive. He won a motion to force her to undergo a psychiatric examination, using as evidence of his former wife's mental instability a lawsuit that had been filed by an ex-boyfriend against her. The suit claimed that she had harassed his friends, slashed the tires of his car, and made threatening phone calls to his grandmother.

Son's Testimony Leads To Acquittal For Defendant

After not having seen his sons since Thanksgiving, the father arrived at his ex-wife's home to pick up the boys. According to court documents, the couple immediately began to argue, until both were screaming at each other. Shortly thereafter, shots were heard from inside the house. The wife told a 911 operator that she had shot her husband in self-defense. This was eventually corroborated by her oldest son.

Prosecutors pointed out several points of inconsistency in her story; they claim that forensic evidence shows the husband was shot from the back. At the crime scene, police found him face up, holding a knife. They also questioned the testimony of the sons, who were allowed to live with their mother for several months before the trial. She was ordered by a judge not to discuss the shooting with them; prosecutors pointed out that this was unenforceable, and allege that they were coached.

The mother was eventually acquitted by the jury, who said that they did not have enough evidence to convict her. During the trial, she tried to sue her husband's estate for back child support, which was later proven to have been paid in full.

Seek A Family Law Attorney In Las Vegas Right Away

If you are currently embroiled in the process of divorce, you may be suffering one of the most difficult and traumatic experiences in your life. With all the heated emotion generated by the dissolution of a marriage, it is imperative that you maintain a cool head and act in the best interests of yourself and your family. An experienced and compassionate legal counsel can be invaluable during this time. A  Las Vegas divorce lawyer from the Gordon Law Offices can guide you through the divorce process, helping you with every aspect of family law. If you need help negotiating a child support or custody agreement, alimony payments, or any other issue raised during divorce, our firm can help.

Act now before it is too late! Contact a Las Vegas divorce attorney with Gordon Law for a free initial consultation!