Marissa Alexander’s new trial set for March 31

Marissa Alexander, the Florida woman who was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting a warning shot against her abusive husband, will have a new trial set for March 31, 2014.

Her bail hearing will take place next Friday, November 8.

Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot to stop an attack by her abusive husband. Her case has frequently been compared to that of George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty on grounds of self-defense for the killing of Trayvon Martin, while Alexander was denied Stand Your Ground protection and sentenced to 20 years although no one was injured by her action. She has already spent more than two years in prison.

Alexander testified that after an altercation regarding texts from her ex-husband, she locked herself in the bathroom. Her husband Rico Gray broke through the door, grabbed her by the neck, and shoved her into the door. She ran to the garage, found she couldn’t get the door open, and returned with a gun. When Gray saw the gun, he said, “B*tch, I’ll kill you.” Alexander testified that she fired the gun into the air as a warning shot to scare off her husband. She pleaded Stand Your Ground against her husband. It only took 12 minutes for jurors to convict and reject her self-defense claims. She was sentenced to 10-20 life, the law which carries a series of mandatory sentencing related to gun charges.

In September, Alexander’s conviction was overturned and she was granted a new trial.

Please stay tuned to Unheard Voices for the latest updates on Marissa Alexander.