Appellate court upholds Wausau man’s murder conviction

Appellate court upholds Wausau man’s murder conviction

One may think cases of domestic violence in Waukehsa are typically cut-and-dry. The prevailing thought often is that one can see the evidence of abuse across the face of the victim. In reality, domestic violence cases can be difficult to deal with because of the unique relationship between the alleged abuser and the abused. Emotions usually run deep both ways in such relationships, with love turning to hate almost at the drop of a hat. Many times, but parties may actually feel as though they are the victims of abuse. As such, it often takes an expert in such relationships and behavior to accurately determine if abuse occurred.

Such was the case in the initial trial of a Wausau man convicted of murdering his wife. The expert testimony of a UW-Madison professor helped to support the prosecution’s claims that the killing was the culmination of a vicious cycle of domestic abuse. The husband maintained that the killing was accidental, and that the gun only went off after his wife had grabbed his arm. An appellate court recently upheld his conviction, reaffirming that the expert testimony offered was admissible.

The difficulty in such cases is that it often devolves in to a simple case of “he said, she said.” Yet without actual evidence of domestic abuse, outside opinions based upon observations may be viewed with skepticism. Those attempting to defend themselves from such allegations may not be able to do so alone. As such, the assistance of a criminal defense attorney may prove invaluable in such a case. 

Source: Ehextra “Evans conviction upheld” Dan Kitowski, Jan. 10, 2014