Battered wife released from prison after 20 years for killing her husband

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBB4SU769E.html

N.Y. Woman Released After Two Decades in Prison; Prosecutors Agree She Was Battered Wife

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) - A woman convicted of participating in the 1983 murder of her husband was freed from prison Wednesday after prosecutors agreed she would have been eligible for a battered wife defense if such laws had been on the books at the time.

Marie LaPinta left the Suffolk County jail beaming and gripping a bouquet of roses sent by her three grandchildren. She declined to say anything to reporters except, "Thank you."

Freedom for the 69-year-old was especially sweet for her two sons: Anthony - who became a lawyer in part to win justice for his mother, and Lenny, a teacher who for years lobbied in vain for a pardon from Gov. George Pataki and operated MercyforMom.org, aimed at winning her freedom.

"Incredibly overwhelmed" is how Lenny LaPinta described his feelings after the court hearing.

This woman should not have spent one day in prison.

[Cha]

1. Well, this brings an

emotion to my throat.

pataki is weasel face who only sends Soldiers to die in an Invasion based on LIES! No Mercy!

[Berserker]

2. This woman should not have spent one day in prison.?

She Murdered her husband instead of leaving him. MURDERED him and dumped him in a landfill. I think she should still be in prison.

At the time, her brother, Leonardo Crociata, was convicted of murder for firing the shots that killed Michael LaPinta. Marie LaPinta was convicted after prosecutors said she assisted Crociata in disposing of the body in a landfill.

[NNN0LHI]

5. The bastard who beat this woman should have considered the...

...possible consequences before he decided to use his wife as a punching bag. All men would be wise to give some very careful thought before beating their wives. The cowardly thugs usually don't though.

Don

[rooboy]

6. Damn right she murdered him and dumped his body in a landfill...

and based on what I've read about him, the son of a bitch deserved it. Doesn't mean she deserves 20 years.

[iamjoy]

9. No, Berserker

A lot of battered women are afraid to leave their husbands because the man threatens to kill her if she leaves. So, murdering the husband is self defense.

Even if this was not self defense, it was a crime of passion, and some consideration should be given for mitigating circumstances.

In this case, it sounds like the brother and sister were trying to protect each other.

[Eloriel]

11. Not only that (fear), but they've almost always

done a very good job of isolating the woman from friends, family, etc., so that she has NO resources, no place to turn, no job, no money, no hope, etc.

And the threats of physical violence are quite real. THE most dangerous time for women in violent relationships are when they are really, truly, finally leaving. That's when they become victims of murder, and sometimes their children as well.

Sometimes the threats are simply: "You leave me and you'll NEVER see your child(ren) again." And there's NO doubt whether the guy means it or not, he does and she knows it. Sometimes that threat means he'll take the kids and move away, and sometimes it means he'll murder them. Sometimes she knows which, and sometimes she doesn't. It also doesn't even matter if the kids are his.

Meanwhile the woman's self-esteem dissolves to nothing and she becomes convinced that she CAN'T make it on her own, that no one would ever love her, etc., etc., etc., just like he says. She loses her ability to fight for herself and her kids. She is convinced she's worthless and must deserve this. That's the effect this kind of treatment has on many women. Of course, most of them were raised in homes where domestic violence was the order of the day, so they may not fully understand that love doesn't have to be accompanied by violence.

The snares and traps and dilemmas and cages and psychological prisons which abusive men create for their mates are quite vicious -- and quite effective.

[thecai]

17. It's Not Easy To Get Away From Abusers

I've had to run with my child, my puppy, and the clothes on our backs in the rain in the middle of the night to get away from an abuser. He found us, snatched me up at gunpoint, and took us home. Police did not "want to bother with domestic disputes" (in the early 80's), so eventually, I had to call the police and say "you have to come get my husband before I kill him" before they took action. Then he burned down my house and got away with it because "they didn't have enough evidence to prosecute". I hid for twenty years before my ex finally died of alcoholism.
Leaving is much easier said than done.

[dave502d]

3. How many more our still in prison for the same thing.

[Berserker]

4. How many are in prison

longer than 20 years for lesser crimes than murder? MANY MANY people are.

[bleedingheart]

7. my uncle beat my aunt so badly she couldn't see

he urinated on her when she wouldn't have sex with him...

he beat her senseless until his children had to run for help...

she used her body as a shield to protect her children from his beatings..

he beat her up so badly her brothers wanted to kill him....

Only when you see that kind of brutality up close can you understand why a woman in that situation would kill the bastard...

In my aunt's case he left her and died alone in a barn where he was a caretaker....he deserved less than that...

[NNN0LHI]

8. I disagree on only one point bleedingheart

This one:

>>>Only when you see that kind of brutality up close can you understand why a woman in that situation would kill the bastard...<<<

I have never in my life witnessed that kind of brutality but I can still understand why a woman in that situation would kill the bastard. I am not sure why that is. But I can.

Don

[Lars39]

10. And yet that crud that killed his girlfriend with an iron skillet served 2

got out and killed at least 2 more people. :grr:

[Eloriel]

12. Men routinely get far less time for killing women than

women get for killing their male mates.

Women typically get stiffer sentences for ANY crimes they commit.

Edited:

Here's a thread I started yesterday on what happened to an Atlanta woman. I do not understand why it was locked:

Atlanta woman beaten "beyond recongition" --
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3720328&mesg_id=3720328&page=

[thecai]

13. "If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him..."

..."I'd be out of prison now"... (title and text of a fiction book referring to a battered wife who served time for killing her abusive husband of 20 years)... reminds me of this case.
I agree, this lady should not have served any time.
Kudos to her son Anthony who became a lawyer to fight for her justice, and to her son Lenny for his hard work and dedication!

[AngryAmish]

14. The bastard had it coming

However, one does not leave one's senses because of beatings. A family I knew killed their mother because she beat them. They are still in jail and deserve to be there. If she killed him, them call the cops and deal with it. We have a social contract - and violence is allowed. However, one must accept the comsequences of one's violence.

[stillcool]

15. that is the problem....

in some circumstances, in some courts, for some people. I have no problem with facing consequences as its my lot, but to see others abuse everything in their path and only get promotions will lead to lawlessness.

[LTRS]

16. What's the alternative?

Shall we say it's okay to plot and carry out the murder of anyone who is abusive to us? 10 to 20 yrs is an appropriate sentence. If you couldn't find the courage to leave and run far far away and you decide to stay and kill him instead you should be prepared to pay the price. I think it's fine that she's out, but I sure don't agree that she should not have spent a day in prison. We can't have a society where individuals decide that certain people deserve the death penalty.

[progressivebydesign]

18. I was abused but I would NEVER have killed...

.. ONLY if it was in self defense and I had no other way of getting out alive. Premeditated and dumping the body is such a foreign concept to me... that's murder, unless they could prove she was insane, BUT it was her brother that shot him.