Marissa Alexander is expected to be released from prison today, where she spent the last three years of her life after firing a warning shot into the air to defend herself from her estranged and abusive husband. Alexander was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, despite the fact that no one was hurt.
Alexander was first arrested and charged with three counts of domestic aggravated assault, for which she received the minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. After her request for a re-trial was granted, Florida state prosecutor Angela Corey announced that she would again seek to change the terms of Alexander’s sentence to have her serve three consecutive terms of 20 years, totaling 60 years behind bars. Before her trial last December, Alexander accepted a plea deal, accepting a sentence of three years in prison and two years under house arrest.
Dr. E Faye Williams, Esq., the president and CEO of the National Congress of Black Women, celebrated the release of Alexander as nearing the end of “this nightmare.” The NCBW has been involved in seeking justice for Alexander since the beginning of the case. “We’ve donated to her defense. We’ve written letters to officials involved. We’ve worked to change Florida’s horrendous laws that were used to punish Marissa and more,” Williams told the Feminist Newswire. “But there is still much work to be done so that no woman ever has to go through what Marissa suffered.”
Alexander’s estranged husband is a repeat offender of domestic violence, and admitted to abusing both Alexander and other women he has had relationships with.
Media: Feminist Newswire 4/20/12; Feminist Newswire 3/04/14; Feminist Newswire 11/25/14; NationalCongressBW.org;