Missouri – A Missouri woman was ordered to serve 10 years in prison after reaching a deal with prosecutors and pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, court records say. The woman, 42-year-old MeIanie, was initially charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with her partner’s death in 2022. Prosecutors said the woman shot her partner, Etiene, to death at their home while he was sleeping in the bedroom. The fatal shooting occurred while the couple’s two children were inside the residence, court records say.
Authorities in Missouri launched an investigation on August 31, 2022 after the 911 caller told the dispatcher about shots fired at the location. The responding officers found the victims suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and pronounced him dead at the scene. During an initial interview with investigators, the 42-year-old defendant reportedly said that she woke up after she heard a gunshot and noticed her husband was shot but did not see who did it.
During the investigation process, Missouri authorities discovered that there were no signs of forced entry in the home and that the victim didn’t took his own life. Authorities also discovered that a pillow had a bullet hole through it and even found a projectile inside the pillow. Investigators also found a blanket on the bedroom floor with a bullet hole through it. The responding officers also found several firearms inside the bedroom and one of the guns even had a spent shell casing inside the cylinder.
The couple’s children, who were not identified due to their age, reportedly told investigators that they were sleeping when they heard a gunshot. When the children went downstairs, they reportedly found their mother sitting on the sofa. Both children then went upstairs and found their father in the bedroom bleeding.
In a follow-up interview, the 42-year-old defendant reportedly said that she was sleeping when she heard a gunshot and then realized her partner was shot. The man was reportedly sleeping next to her. The woman also told investigators that she never left the bedroom. When officers asked her about the weapon inside the bedroom, she reportedly confessed to buying it one month before the fatal shooting.
During the investigation process, the 42-year-old woman reportedly told investigators that she was in an intimate relationship with another man for more than a year due to financial issues and wanted to divorce her hsband, but couldn’t due to their financial problems.