Woman who shot husband dead gets probation
By Lawrence Buser, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Originally published 02:26 p.m., January 30, 2009
Updated 02:26 p.m., January 30, 2009
A Millington, TN woman who killed her husband with a .22-caliber rifle while he made doughnut circles in his pickup truck was sentenced today to three years of probation.
As part of a negotiated sentence, Linda Abbott, 40, agreed not to ask Criminal Court Judge John Colton Jr. for diversion, which could have erased the voluntary manslaughter conviction returned by a jury in November. In return, she will do no jail time if she complies with probation requirements.
She was charged with second-degree murder for killing husband Gary Abbott, 43, on July 23, 2005, behind their home at 9401 Riverbluff west of Millington.
Authorities initially believed that Abbott died in a violent crash when his truck hit a piece of farm machinery and burst into flames.
When a .22-caliber bullet was found in his head during an autopsy, however, Linda Abbott admitted firing one rifle shot in the air and a second shot that she said was an accidental discharge.
Authorities said the shot traveled some 150 feet across a field behind the house, struck Gary Abbott in the head and caused the truck to crash.
Linda Abbott testified in trial that her husband sometimes drove in circles in the field when he was angry or had been drinking. His blood alcohol was .26.
She told a jury the shooting was an accident, that she was trying to get his attention to come to dinner and that she had no reason to intentionally shoot him.
Skipping past the obvious fact that if the sexes were reversed the shooter would have been castrated and crucified immediately, I find it interesting that she was going to get diversion, which wipes the whole thing off her record completely as if it never happened. And then there's the little detail of her claiming she was just shooting at him with a rifle to "get his attention". There are a lot of ways to get someone's attention. Shooting at them through the back of their head isn't one of them.
Her attorney was the infamous "if you're guilty as hell call" Leslie Balin, former attorney for husband murderer, Mary "Lizzie Borden" Winkler.
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