Oct. 6, 2022 8:45a
(WGTD)---The Kenosha woman who killed her ex-boyfriend claiming self-defense has lost her appeal.
Donna Matthews, who claimed to have suffered from battered woman syndrome, will get neither a reversal of her first degree murder conviction or a new trial in a unanimous ruling from an appeals court Wednesday.
Matthews, now 57, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of release.
Matthews snuck into victim Michael Gayan’s home near Kenosha’s lakefront while July 4th fireworks were underway in 2016 in a plan to have the explosions mask the sounds of her gunfire.
According to her brother, who also was convicted, Matthews had planned the killing months in advance in response to Gayan stalking, posting humiliating photos of her and making threats.
While Matthews claimed Gayan physically abused her, evidence indicated that may have been a lie.
Her attorneys struck a deal with the prosecution to keep some of the potentially damaging testimony and evidence out of court, along with references to a book Matthews had been reading on how to present a battered woman defense. Also, the defense agreed to rein in its case a bit, and not directly ask its expert on whether he believed Matthews had been suffering from the syndrome.
Meanwhile, Matthews’ brother, Derrick, is nearing the end of his prison term.
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