Justice Served: Stephanie Louise Clark Prevails in Case of Allegedly Abusive Boyfriend’s Death: Stephanie Louise Clark’s appeal against her conviction for second-degree murder was triumphant. She asserted that she acted in self-defense when she lethally fired a bullet at her romantic partner.
Back in 2016, Stephanie Louise Clark pulled the trigger ending the life of her lover Ronald Thomas which resulted in her arrest for murder.
Stephanie Louise Clark alleged that she fired at Ronald Thomas in self-defense after being subjected to years of physical and psychological abuse by him.
Clark’s case brought to light the challenges encountered by victims of domestic violence who seek retaliation against their abusers and it received extensive media coverage.
Clark’s advocates argued that she should not have been punished for defending herself considering Thomas’s record of domestic violence.
Clark was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter a lesser offense than murder in 2017. As a result, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison with the possibility of parole.
Due to the judge’s ruling that the jury in Clark’s first trial did not receive sufficient guidance regarding self-defense, she was granted a new trial in 2019.
What occurred to Stephanie Louise Clark?
In Maple Grove Minnesota a woman alleged that her boyfriend had physically assaulted her. However, the prosecution argued that her actions in response constituted murder and a jury ultimately agreed with their position.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Stephanie Louise Clark was convicted of the murder of her partner Don’Juan Tymone Butler.
According to the criminal complaint Stephanie Louise Clark was lying on the ground crying and told a neighbor “He’s dead.” The neighbor attempted to comfort her.
Stephanie Louise Clark asserted “I shot him because he hit me.”
Police officers reported that Stephanie Louise Clark claimed that Don’Juan Tymone Butler’s assault had caused injury to her back and she had a bruise on the left side of her middle back.
After being informed of her Miranda rights Stephanie Louise Clark informed investigators that Don’Juan Tymone Butler had confronted her regarding her conversation with another man at a store.
Stephanie Louise Clark alleged that her partner hit her in the back and stomach. The criminal complaint stated that the altercation continued even after she left to pick up her child and returned home ultimately resulting in Clark firing multiple shots at Butler.
Stephanie Louise Clark was declared victorious in the case involving the death of her allegedly abusive boyfriend
Stephanie Louise Clark aged 32 was found guilty of second-degree murder in March 2020 about the death of Don’Juan Butler aged 30. She claimed that she fired at Don Juan Butler out of fear that he would continue to abuse and potentially harm her or her 5-year-old child.
The focus of Stephanie Louise Clark’s appeal as per the Minneapolis Star Tribune was on whether she faced an “imminent” threat at the time of her shooting of Don Juan Butler.
During deliberations when the jury requested clarification on the legal term “imminent,” the court misspelled “immediate” as per a unanimous ruling by a three-judge appeals panel on Thursday.
The appeals court determined that Don Juan Butler had previously abused and intimidated Stephanie Louise Clark including instances where he held a gun to her head. However, Clark was not being abusive toward him at the time she shot him.
Stephanie Louise Clark testified that she fired at Don Juan Butler out of fear that he would harm her son or kill her. The abuse had intensified and was occurring nearly every day.
She alleged that Don Juan Butler frequently yelled shoved kicked and slapped her as well as often brandishing loaded weapons. She further claimed that she was unable to leave the house without his permission and when he was enraged he would force her to kneel before assaulting her.
As per the verdict considering Don Juan Butler’s history of violent behavior towards Stephanie Louise Clark the jury could have concluded that she was in “imminent danger” of suffering severe physical harm even if such a danger was not immediate at the time of the shooting.
Stephanie Louise Clark’s case will undergo a new trial if the Hennepin County prosecutors choose not to appeal the ruling.
