An hour of deliberation by the jury returned a guilty verdict for 35-year-old Julia Slayton. She was charged with one count of improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation with a firearm specification.
Despite her attorney's advisement, Slayton decided to take the stand on day two of the trial. She was adamant about getting out the reason why she was upset on Sept. 4, 2018. Slayton said she was in an argument with the father of her child when he hit her in the head. She testified she had a gun that day but doesn't remember firing her gun after being hit.
"I had my back turned towards him right," said Slayton on the witness stand. "And I had my son, my 7-year-old in front of me. And he was like (Give) me my son, (expletive). And then he pushed me. And then he was like, he hit me in the back of my head. He never hit me, like, in my face. He always hit me in my head."
The trial moved quickly with the first day consisting of testimony from law enforcement and a firearms identification expert. The jury learned Slayton had an expired concealed carry permit. Police found Slayton at Willow Lake Apartments with a gun in her hand. A bullet that struck a Brower Road home was determined to have come from Slayton's gun. Witnesses said she was walking around the apartment complex firing into the air.
A pre-sentence investigation was ordered because of another pending case against Slayton. She was suspected of passing bad checks back in 2018. Her sentencing has been scheduled for April 6, 2020.
