Wife Acquitted of Murder

A 43 year old Philadelphia woman has been found not guilty in the 2015 stabbing death of her husband. Shara Stokes sobbed uncontrollably as the Not Guilty verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom. During the trial, Stokes took the stand in her own defense and testified that her husband was beating her at the time of the incident. The prosecution claimed that Stokes had stabbed her husband 16 times and had waited nearly an hour to call the police. Her attorney, Brian McMonagle successfully argued that Stokes was a victim of domestic violence and had acted in self defense. In an emotional closing argument, McMonagle referred to Stokes as an “imperfect witness but a perfect victim who had endured unendurable threats and violence at the hands of her husband.” McMonagle introduced letters that were written to Ms. Stokes by her husband in which he threatened that the only way she would leave the marriage was in a body bag. According to McMonagle, “she woke up every day wondering if this would be her last day, and that is no way for a human being to live.”