Battered Woman Syndrome Case Study

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Dominique Stephens has been found with the murder of her husband, Donovan Stephens. Ms. Stephens has admitted to being the victim of abuse by her husband, lasting the range of the two’s marriage. It’s evident that because of this long-term abuse, Ms. Stephens has developed battered woman syndrome. Battered woman syndrome comes as a result to women who have been subjected to severe and frequent physical and emotional abuse, which results in a condition known as learned helplessness. Symptoms of learned helplessness are:
Financial dependency on the batter
Forced isolation from family and friends
Extreme fear of retaliation if escape is attempted
In order to prove that Ms. Stephens actions were excusable through self-defence, the defence would need to introduce and educate the jury on …show more content…
To prove and show Ms. Stephens is a victim of battered woman syndrome, the defence would use several witnesses, that in their affidavit, said things that would clearly show Ms. Stephens has the condition. First the defence would call the witness Dr. Bobby Phoenix, an expert on battered woman syndrome. He would discuss the signs and symptoms of battered woman syndrome to the jury and I would ask what his professional diagnosis would be concerning Ms. Stephens in relation to the condition. In his affidavit he admits that he “definitely” believes Ms. Stephens is a victim of battered woman syndrome. Then I would call a set of witnesses that show that Ms. Stephens is a victim of battered woman syndrome. I would use Tony Williams, former Director, Washington Women’s Shelter to show that Ms. Stephens was financially dependent on Mr. Stephens, because in his affidavit he admits that she would not be “eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children, which would help pay rent, or even food stamps as long as she was legally married to her husband”. Then to show that Ms. Stephens, like other victims of abuse, clung to the hope that the abuser

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