Bond Hill woman shot and killed her former girlfriend shortly after their breakup last year, prosecutors say. She claims that she pulled the trigger in self-defense.
Now, Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christopher McDowell must decide whether 26-year-old Marshee Luther really fired a single, fatal round to defend herself.
The woman’s bench trial began on May 6. She’s charged with murder and felonious assault in connection with the Aug. 31 killing of 29-year-old Taralynn Bowers.
Woman charged in shooting didn’t know if ex was armed, prosecutor says
Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Otero said in court that Luther killed Bowers by shooting her once in the head.
After the couple’s breakup, Otero said, Bowers sought support from mutual friends and was invited to a home in Millvale on the day of the shooting. Everything was calm as several women at the home discussed the relationship, he said, but “things turned emotional” when Luther arrived.
Otero said that Bowers left the home, with the two women decided to go their separate ways. She returned a short time later, he said, walking a few steps inside and calling for Luther.
Bowers moved toward Luther, who was seated on a couch, and motioned to reach into her purse, the prosecutor said, adding that Luther stood up, pulled out a gun and opened fire.
When Cincinnati police detectives interviewed Luther after the shooting, she told them that she didn’t know what Bowers was reaching for, Otero told the judge.
“She did not know if Taralynn Bowers had any weapons on her, and she did not know what Taralynn was about to do prior to shooting her in the head,” Otero said. “And yet she fired anyway.”
He argued that Luther did not have reasonable grounds to pull the trigger.
Attorney says client ‘shot and killed a woman that she truly loved’
Brandon Fox, Luther’s attorney, described his client as someone who long suffered from intimate partner violence and wanted to leave the relationship. He pointed to incidents in which Bowers allegedly threatened Luther with guns and a butcher’s knife.
He said Bowers was angry about the relationship ending. As she was returning to the house in Millvale, Fox said in court, Bowers texted people in the home saying, “She’s gonna die.”
When she entered the home again and approached Luther, Bowers had mace in one hand and a purse strapped across her body, Fox said, adding that she reached into the bag before Luther opened fire.
A Smith & Wesson tactical knife was the only item inside that purse, Fox said. “Marshee shot and killed a woman that she truly loved.”
“It’s not a choice she planned to make,” the attorney added. “But it’s a choice she had to make, because if she had not made that choice, she would no longer be with us.”
Closing arguments are expected to begin later this week. Luther faces a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided the photos for this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Woman killed ex after breakup. Judge to decide if it was self-defense
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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