A Florida woman who accepted a plea bargain in a “stand your ground” case was released from prison Tuesday.
Marissa Alexander served a total of three years. She will spend the next two years under house arrest, wearing an ankle bracelet.
She says she was attempting to flee her husband on August 1, 2010, when she picked up a handgun and fired a shot into a wall. Nobody was struck by the bullet.
The case focused the spotlight on Florida’s “stand your ground” law after Alexander unsuccessfully argued before her trial that she was immune to prosecution because of the law.
The mother of three was initially sentenced to 20 years. That conviction was overturned because the trial judge mishandled instructions to the jury.
Alexander said her husband had read cell phone text messages that she had written to her ex-husband, got angry and tried to strangle her.
Authorities said Alexander needed to be prosecuted because she fired in the direction of a room where children were standing.