Woman Hides In "Sniping Nest", Kills Husband

[ceedj]

A MOTHER of five who lay in wait in a sniper's nest before killing her abusive husband has been found not guilty of murder.

Claire Margaret MacDonald, 39, pleaded not guilty to murdering her 40-year-old husband Warren MacDonald at the couple's property in Acheron, northeast of Melbourne, on September 30, 2004.

 

After more than a day of deliberations, a Victorian Supreme Court jury tonight found Mrs MacDonald not guilty of murder and not guilty of manslaughter.

 

During the trial, Crown prosecutor Ray Elston argued the former primary school teacher murdered her husband in cold blood.

 

He told the jury she donned camouflage gear and hid in a "sniper's nest" in bushes for 90 minutes before shooting her husband six times.

 

Defence lawyer James Montgomery said his client killed her husband but the "devoted mother" did so after years of abuse.

 

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He said the prosecution would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mrs MacDonald did not kill her husband in self defence or after being provoked.

 

Mr Montgomery said Mr MacDonald "totally dominated" his family through fear, and abused his wife physically, psychologically and sexually.

 

On the night of his death, Mr MacDonald abused his wife and raped her after accusing her of storing a box of potatoes incorrectly in their cellar, Mr Montgomery said.

 

Mrs MacDonald burst into tears as the verdicts were read out by the jury foreman. Outside the court, she said she was looking forward to returning home to her children.

 

"I just want to go home," she said.

Source

 

Thoughts?

[TetsuoShima]

MOVED: On the Wireless

 

Murder is muder, period. I'm certain that if the prosecutor goes to a higher court, that she'll get what's coming to her. There is such a thing as the law, in her case she should have gone to the police years ago and divorced the bastard. imo she's guilty! 'He dominated her totally', well appearently not so, since she shot him to death, not just once, but 6 times and not in self defence, since obviously the 'husband' had no idea untill he was shot... I mean, so you can find the courage to kill someone, but you can't find the courage to tell the authorities... Of course, the article is somewhat limited in the desciption of events, but the way I read it, she definately is guilty...

[kyran]

MOVED: On the Wireless

 

Murder is muder, period. I'm certain that if the prosecutor goes to a higher court, that she'll get what's coming to her. There is such a thing as the law, in her case she should have gone to the police years ago and divorced the bastard. imo she's guilty! 'He dominated her totally', well appearently not so, since she shot him to death, not just once, but 6 times and not in self defence, since obviously the 'husband' had no idea untill he was shot... I mean, so you can find the courage to kill someone, but you can't find the courage to tell the authorities... Of course, the article is somewhat limited in the desciption of events, but the way I read it, she definately is guilty...

 

so sad in this day and age that people still do not understand. An abused woman has nothing they are worn down by years of abuse and think they are to blame. I say good for her if more women got help there would be less of it. the police don't help they seem to be as blind as most other people.

 

 

[TetsuoShima]

so sad in this day and age that people still do not understand. An abused woman has nothing they are worn down by years of abuse and think they are to blame. I say good for her if more women got help there would be less of it. the police don't help they seem to be as blind as most other people.

 

Agreed on the fact that if the police doesn't do anything that that is not ok. The least they should do is help understand the wife that she should divorce the bad husband and help her in achieving this.

 

But the fact that she murdered her husband clearly shows that she did not think that she herself was to blame... If so she would have had to commit suicide to get rid of the problem, but she got rid of the problem by killing her husband, clearly showing (in my eyes) that she did think that he was the problem, not herself.

 

If the police doesn't do anything, than that makes it a political problem and it should be handled as such, not killing the abuser yourself, since you do not have that right. Maybe politics should better focus on some of these problems instead of trying to push some more anti-consumer-laws down our throats...

[MrDad]

MOVED: On the Wireless

 

Murder is muder, period. I'm certain that if the prosecutor goes to a higher court, that she'll get what's coming to her. There is such a thing as the law, in her case she should have gone to the police years ago and divorced the bastard. imo she's guilty! 'He dominated her totally', well appearently not so, since she shot him to death, not just once, but 6 times and not in self defence, since obviously the 'husband' had no idea untill he was shot... I mean, so you can find the courage to kill someone, but you can't find the courage to tell the authorities... Of course, the article is somewhat limited in the desciption of events, but the way I read it, she definately is guilty...

 

so sad in this day and age that people still do not understand. An abused woman has nothing they are worn down by years of abuse and think they are to blame. I say good for her if more women got help there would be less of it. the police don't help they seem to be as blind as most other people.

 

You are absolutely correct. Everyone knows how women are naturally weaker than men. There is no other way she could have resisted his superiority over her. Everyone forgets how it is only natural for a woman to submit to a man's domination.

 

If an abused husband had laid in wait for his abusive wife to return so he could kill her, would you display the same sympathy and pity?

[remedyu]

 

She could have gotten help. I mean, you can't just go shooting everyone that abuses you right?

[Steveo]

I agree with the prosecutor, this was cold blooded murder of the husband, and despite her tragic circumstances, it's still cold blooded murder.

 

If she'd stabbed him during an argument or something similar, then it wouldn't be in such calculated cold blood.