Marissa Alexander may be a little more than a week away from getting a taste of freedom.
A judge set Alexander’s bond hearing for November 8, when she will find out if she will be released from prison while she awaits her new trial over an incident in which she fired what she described as a warning shot at her abusive husband.
Alexander attempted to seek immunity under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law in her first hearing, but was denied that opportunity. She was ultimately convicted and given a mandatory 20-year sentence under Florida’s 10-20-life law covering all crimes involving a firearm.
An appeals court judge ordered a new trial last month, not because of the Stand Your Ground ruling in the case, but because the “jury instructions on self-defense were erroneous” in her first trial. Alexander’s new trial date has been set for March 31, 2014, according to the Florida Times-Union.
Hours after her new trial was announced, protesters supporting domestic violence victims rallied at the Duval County Courthouse, demanding Alexander be released immediately, according to an Associated Press report.
“This is a reflection of the inequities of the justice system,” Marcia Olivo, Sisterhood of Survivors spokeswoman, said.
Many have argued that the charges against her should be dropped entirely, including Rep. Corrine Brown, a Democrat from Florida who’s become one of her most vocal supporters.
Immediately after Alexander’s new trial was ordered, Brown joined PoliticsNation to push for Alexander’s release. “She has been in jail for three years. She has not spent any time with her baby, and keep in mind when this incident occurred, she–the baby–was eight days old,” Brown said.
Morgan Whitaker