Suburban mother-of-two claims she was acting in self-defense when she shot and killed her husband – as their two teen children tell police she asked them to leave the home and that they had been having ‘marriage issues’
- Stephanie Westby, 47, is charged with murder after she shot her husband Joseph Westby, 51, at their home in Camas, Washington on Sunday
- Westby faced court for the first time on Tuesday where her lawyers argued that she feared for her life and acted in self defense
- She called 911 to report the shooting and police found her husband dead inside the home when they arrived
- The couple’s two teen children told police their parents had been having marital issues since May
- They also said their mother had asked them to leave the house earlier that night
A suburban mother-of-two has claimed she was acting in self-defense when she shot and killed her husband after allegedly asking their teen children to leave the house earlier that night.
Stephanie Westby, 47, has been charged with murder after she fatally shot her husband Joseph Westby, 51, at their home in Camas, Washington on Sunday night.
Westby faced court for the first time on Tuesday where her lawyers argued that she feared for her life when she shot her husband.
She called 911 after the shooting and told the dispatcher: ‘My husband and I just had a big fight. I thought he was going to kill me and I shot him’, according to court documents obtained by KPTV.
Stephanie Westby, 47, has been charged with murder after she fatally shot her husband Joseph Westby, 51, at their home in Camas, Washington on Sunday night
Police found Joseph dead inside the home when they arrived.
They later interviewed the couple’s two teenage children who allegedly told them that their parents had been having marital issues the started around May.
They said their mother had asked them to leave the house prior to the shooting.
The teeangers both said there had not been a history of violence between their parents.
Westby would not consent to being recorded in a police interview until she had a lawyer present, according to court documents.
Westby faced court for the first time on Tuesday where her lawyers argued that she feared for her life when she shot her husband
Police found Joseph dead inside the home when they arrived. The couple’s two teen children told police their mother had asked them to leave the home prior to the shooting
Her lawyer is pushing to have the murder charge dropped due to the self defense argument.
‘When she called 911, she reported he was threatening to kill her and attack her, so she acted in self-defense,’ her attorney Steve Thayer told the judge.
Westby will be entering a not guilty plea to the murder charge, according to her lawyer.
Her bail was set at $500,000.
She is also not allowed to have access to a gun.
Westby is scheduled to face court again on September 27.