Marissa Alexander will spend the next 20 years in prison for discharging a weapon at her husband. Alexander’s case was the subject of intense debate following the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, whose killer invoked the “Stand Your Ground” law.
But Florida State Attorney Angela B. Corey argued that Marissa was not standing her ground when she fired her handgun during a dispute with her husband, Rico Gray, on August 1, 2010.
Alexander claims she was in fear of her life because Gray, a man with 5 baby mamas, physically abused her in the past. She said she ran into her garage while Gray was leaving through the front door with his two sons from a previous relationship.
The 31-year-old mother of 3 said she she planned to drive away, but she panicked when she realized the garage door was broken.
So she grabbed her gun which was under the car seat, and she re-entered the home through the kitchen. She said she shouted at her husband, and when he saw the gun he charged at her. She fired once, into the ceiling.
The Stand Your Ground law does not apply when the alleged victim runs towards danger, as Alexander did.
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