State v. Painter

Defendant shot and killed her stepson, allegedly in self-defense, during an altercation in her home. Following a jury trial, she was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. She appeals from her conviction and from the trial court's denial of her postjudgment motion for a new trial.

The defendant, Janice Painter (Painter), married Maurice Painter (Maurice) in 1968. She had four children by prior marriages, and Maurice had one son by a prior marriage, Ted Painter (Ted), the deceased. Mutual animosity existed between Painter and Ted throughout the marriage, and…