The People Vs Katherine Wilcox for the First Degree Murder of Her Husband Bill Wilcox

The People vs Katherine Wilcox for the First Degree Murder of her husband Bill Wilcox.

The Story:

Katherine Wilcox has been married to Bill Wilcox for seven years. The married couple have two children, a house, and a dog. Bill has a high paying job, so Katherine has never had to work. Since their marriage, Katherine has stayed home to take care of the kids and the house.

When Katherine first met Bill, he told her that he had been in trouble with the police for drunk driving, fighting, and other alcohol related problems. However, Bill had never been arrested or put in jail for these problems. The police had always let him go free without arresting him or going to court. Katherine told Bill that she would only marry him if he worked to control his drinking more. She did not tell him he must quit.

For the first year and a half of their marriage, Bill did not drink much alcohol. He was very well behaved. But after the birth of their first child, Bill started drinking heavily again. One night when the baby was crying, Bill told Katherine to help the baby. Katherine was sick with the flu, so she told Bill she was too tired and sick to help. When she refused him, Bill punched her in the face and broke her nose. Katherine never called the police. When she went to the hospital, she told the doctor that she fell down the stairs because her flu made her lose her balance.

For the next few years, Bill got more violent with Katherine due to his drinking. Katherine was hit or emotionally abused by Bill at least once every three months. To protect herself, Katherine decided to buy a gun and hide it in her closet. Six months after buying the gun, Bill came home drunk and angry. Katherine took the gun and told Bill that he needed to leave the house or else she would shoot him. Bill was very drunk, so he reached out to grab the gun from Katherine. This caused Katherine to shoot him and kill him.

Prosecution (the State) must prove the following:  Charging Katherine with First degree murder of her husband.  Argues that Katherine planned the murder, so it was not self-defense.  Many other factors prove that Katherine wanted to murder her husband.

The Defense must prove the following:  Argues that Katherine killed her husband in self-defense.  Katherine was defending herself from an attacker who was insane and sick.  Katherine claims she was worried that Bill would soon begin hurting the children.

Facts to Consider  Bill Wilcox’s family is devastated of their loss.  Bill had never injured or abused his children.  Katherine knew before she married Bill that he had alcohol and anger issues.  Katherine has no source of income.