An Ocala woman who fatally shot her husband won't be charged, because prosecutors say the case falls under Florida's "stand your ground" law.
- State cites 'stand your ground' law in clearing wife in husband's death
- Authorities say Michelle Dinkins-Penland feared for her life, son's and mother's
- She has a Florida concealed weapons permit
Prosecutors think that Michelle Dinkins-Penland was justified to use deadly force because, under the stand-your-ground law, there was a “reasonable fear” that her life and others’ were in danger.
Mark Penland, 53, had been verbally and physically abusing Dinkins-Penland’s 14-year-old son, which several witnesses confirmed, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.
It all started on Tuesday night, March 22, 2016, when the teenager invited a friend over to the family’s Ocala house to celebrate his birthday. But later in the evening, authorities say that Penland started to beat Dinkins-Penland’s son.
The boy’s grandmother and mother tried to stop the beating, but the grandmother was thrown to the ground by Penland, authorities say.
“Dinkins-Penland pleaded with Penland to stop beating her son, but Penland told her he was going to kill the juvenile,” the Marion Sheriff’s Office said. “She obtained her weapon and shot her husband twice to stop him from causing any more harm to her son.”
Dinkins-Penland has a Florida concealed weapons permit and a .38 revolver.
The teenager called 911 while his mother tried to help Penland. Marion deputies arrived at the scene, and Penland was taken to a hospital by medics. He died in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 23.
Prosecutors think Dinkins-Penland was justified to use deadly force because, under the state's stand-your-ground law, there was a “reasonable fear that her life, her mother’s life and certainly her son’s life were in danger.”