A woman who claimed she shot her “abusive” husband in self-defense has been convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Olivia Annette Smith was convicted on Friday after a four-day trial. She was acquitted of one charge of malice murder.
According to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office Olivia Smith got a protective order in January 2015 against her husband, Cory Smith, who she claims had been previously abusive towards her.
She continued to have contact with her husband despite the protective order, neighbors told police, even though the order required them to remain separate from each other, the DA’s office said.
On April 2, 2015, Olivia Smith called police, claiming Cory Smith had been threatening her. When police arrived to her home, Cory Smith was dead, sitting on a couch with bullet wounds to his head and leg. Olivia Smith told police she shot her husband after he “threatened her and aggressively came toward her.”
Medical examiner Carol Terry testified during the trial that Cory Smith was shot in the temple from three feet away, in the back of the head from one foot away and in the inner thigh. Terry said it was likely that Cory Smith was sitting down when he was shot.
While testifying in her own defense, Olivia Smith did not explain how Cory Smith was shot in the back of the head nor how his body ended up sitting on the couch.
Olivia Smith is set to be sentenced Nov. 3. She could be sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole for the murder charge.
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