Florida mom Marissa Alexander was released from prison Tuesday (Jan. 27), but she’s not exactly free. Alexander, who was staring at decades behind bars for firing a warning shot at her abusive ex, Rico Gray, while her children were in the home, has been remanded to house arrest for the next two years.
“Today, after the sentence given by Judge Daniel, my family and I will be able to move on with our lives,” Alexander said in a statement. “Although the journey has been long and there’s been many difficult moments, I could not have arrived here, where I am today, without the thoughts, many thoughts and many prayers of so many people who voiced their support and encouragement. Words can never express my gratitude for those who stood beside me, including my children and family. I am also grateful that Judge Daniel approached this case with such care and diligence.”
Alexander’s story came into light around the same time as the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, and the debate over Florida’s Stand You Ground defense. Angela Corey, the same prosecutor who brought second-degree murder charges against George Zimmerman in Martin’s death, also tried Alexander.
With Alexander getting such a stiff punishment for shooting at her ex, in comparison to Zimmerman getting off for killing Martin, the case drew widespread attention.
Corey stood behind her decision to charge Alexander. “She was not fleeing from an abuser,” she told TheGrio. “A judge heard all the facts and evidence and said that this was not a case of Stand Your Ground. You have to compare what [Alexander] said to what the victims said. There were two young children there as well. None of the physical evidence corroborates her story. There was the 911 call … and you can clearly hear the distress in Rico Gray’s voice. They had a verbal argument [in which] he said ‘I’m outta here,’ and she said, ‘I’ve got something for you.’”
Alexander has said that Gray threatened to kill her.
