Dec. 9, 3:45p 2021
(WGTD)---The new attorney for the Kenosha woman who claimed she was suffering from battered woman syndrome when she killed her ex-boyfriend five years ago is accusing her old attorneys of making a major mistake.
Tim Provis filed a brief in appellate court last month outlining why he believes 56-year-old Donna Matthews deserves a new trial. Matthews shot and killed Michael Gayan in his home near Kenosha’s lakefront in 2016.The shooting was timed to coincide with the July 4th fireworks display.
According to court testimony, Matthews traveled to Kenosha from her new home in Hawaii to commit the crime in order to end years of harassment from Gayan, which included stalking and the posting of a series of sexually-explicit photos and texts of her on the internet. Matthews said she acted only because she believed that she had exhausted all of her options.
In his brief, Provis claims Matthews’ trial attorneys made a strategic mistake that prevented them from fully exploring battered woman syndrome.
The state has yet to file its response.
Matthews is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
-0-