A 31-year-old woman from Mississippi has been handed a 20-year prison sentence for the manslaughter of her boyfriend. The incident took place two years ago when the man returned home with food from McDonald’s for her and their children following a heated argument. Alexandria M. Griste was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Gray Tollison after a three-day trial. The jury took a mere three hours to find Griste guilty of imperfect self-defense manslaughter.
Imperfect self-defense is a legal term that refers to situations where the defendant’s actions in killing the victim are not justifiable, but also lack the malice required for a murder conviction. The case was brought to court after the Oxford, Mississippi, Police Department responded to a reported shooting at a residence on South Lamar Boulevard in the early hours of June 8, 2022.
Upon their arrival, first responders discovered an adult male, later identified as Corey Lyles, suffering from a gunshot wound. Lyles was pronounced dead at the scene. Griste, who had made the 911 call, was taken into custody and initially charged with first-degree murder.
Court testimonies revealed that Griste had become upset with Lyles on the evening of June 7, 2022, because he had left the house without informing her. Text messages between the couple showed them discussing Lyles picking up McDonald’s before their argument escalated. Griste had texted Lyles, warning him that he would be “dead” if he returned home.
The couple had been in a tumultuous relationship for about a year, with witnesses reporting arguments between them at a softball game the day before. Griste told police that upon Lyles’ return, she retrieved a 9 mm handgun from her room. She claimed that Lyles approached her aggressively, prompting her to fire three warning shots. When Lyles continued advancing, Griste fired a shot through the front door window, hitting him in the chest.
Griste’s defense attorney, Steve Farese, argued throughout the trial that his client acted in self-defense. He maintained that Griste never intended to kill Lyles, stating, “What kind of world is it if a woman can’t protect herself and her children?” However, prosecutors countered that there was no evidence to suggest Lyles posed a threat to Griste. District Attorney Ben Creekmore argued that Griste was the one who provoked Lyles and deliberately escalated the situation before the shooting.