Mrs. Barrett's Syndrome Case Summary
The Main Issues:
There are two main issues in this case. One is whether or not Mrs. Barrett acted in self-defense against her abusive husband. The second is can she claim battered woman’s syndrome. We must look at both issues to determine if Mrs. Barrett acted in self- defense and suffers from battered woman syndrome.
Mrs. Barrett’s Defense Claims
Self- defence:
Mrs. Barrett claims she acted in self- defense towards her husband. She explains how the beating have so severe that she couldn’t leave the house. She was obviously scared of Mr. Barrett that she would do everything in her power to stop him from his abuse. A few weeks before John's death, Mrs. Barrett noticed he had become more verbally abusive and started drinking a lot. One night he came home and started to choke Mrs. Barrett with his belt. The night of the incident, Mrs. Barrett snapped and shot her husband. Before she shot him she gave him a warning by saying “ Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot.”, when he kept moving towards her she pulled the trigger purely out of fear. She did all of this to defend herself against Mr. Barrett. She should be able to claim self- defense because she didn’t want to take John's life , but she had to in order to keep her own. …show more content…
Barrett wishes to claim battered woman syndrome because she has experienced all 3 stages of abuse with her husband and has been through a lot with him. The stages are tension building phase, where the anger builds up. Then comes the Acute battering episode, where the physical abuse occurs. Lastly comes the honeymoon phase, this is when the abuser is remorseful for his actions. She says that he beated her for the littlest things sometimes and that she sometimes was hit 3 -4 times a day. She also noticed that the “attacks” came in cycles or whenever John drank heavily. That proves she was a hurt woman and meets all the qualifications of being a battered
There are two main issues in this case. One is whether or not Mrs. Barrett acted in self-defense against her abusive husband. The second is can she claim battered woman’s syndrome. We must look at both issues to determine if Mrs. Barrett acted in self- defense and suffers from battered woman syndrome.
Mrs. Barrett’s Defense Claims
Self- defence:
Mrs. Barrett claims she acted in self- defense towards her husband. She explains how the beating have so severe that she couldn’t leave the house. She was obviously scared of Mr. Barrett that she would do everything in her power to stop him from his abuse. A few weeks before John's death, Mrs. Barrett noticed he had become more verbally abusive and started drinking a lot. One night he came home and started to choke Mrs. Barrett with his belt. The night of the incident, Mrs. Barrett snapped and shot her husband. Before she shot him she gave him a warning by saying “ Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot.”, when he kept moving towards her she pulled the trigger purely out of fear. She did all of this to defend herself against Mr. Barrett. She should be able to claim self- defense because she didn’t want to take John's life , but she had to in order to keep her own. …show more content…
Barrett wishes to claim battered woman syndrome because she has experienced all 3 stages of abuse with her husband and has been through a lot with him. The stages are tension building phase, where the anger builds up. Then comes the Acute battering episode, where the physical abuse occurs. Lastly comes the honeymoon phase, this is when the abuser is remorseful for his actions. She says that he beated her for the littlest things sometimes and that she sometimes was hit 3 -4 times a day. She also noticed that the “attacks” came in cycles or whenever John drank heavily. That proves she was a hurt woman and meets all the qualifications of being a battered