Maple Grove woman claiming she killed abuser in self-defense wins appeal

A Maple Grove woman who claimed self-defense for fatally shooting her boyfriend won an appeal of her second-degree murder conviction after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that an instruction to the jury was misstated.

Now, Stephanie Louise Clark could get a new trial.

Clark, 32, claimed to be in an abusive relationship with Don'Juan Butler, 30, who moved in with her and her then-5-year-old-son about 10 months before she killed Butler in March 2020. A Hennepin County jury deliberated four hours to find Clark, who had no criminal history, guilty in October 2021. She was sentenced to 25½ years in prison and remains in custody.

https://www.startribune.com/maple-grove-woman-claiming-she-killed-abuser-in-self-defense-wins-murder-conviction-appeal/600263225/