Killer Who Went Free? the Charlene Hill Story

Charlene Hill of Pecan Grove made a plea agreement with Fort Bend County prosecutors in Richmond, TX on February 11, 2011, ending her second murder trial for the November 14, 2006 shooting of her husband. Her agreement was accepted by the court according to KHOU reporter, Jeremy Desel "an instant before the jury told the judge they had found her guilty unanimously," saving her from certain jail time since the jury was about to come back with a unanimous guilty verdict.

In his lead-in reporting on the March 25th hearing where Fort Bend County District Court Judge James Shoemake formally accepted the plea deal, KHOU reporter, Len Cannon, says that the story is "worthy of a crime novel" while a "killer goes free" banner was displayed at the bottom of the screen (see the video).

With all the twists and turns in two trials, children turning against their mother, big money lawsuits and an ex mother-in-law who believes it was a cold-blooded murder and is bitterly angry that Charlene is not behind bars, I guess there are many angles that could be explored in a crime novel. The "killer goes free" part is just KHOU sensationalizing the story, in my opinion.

Throughout her first trial, Charlene maintained that she killed her husband Danny Hill in self-defense. Witness after witness testified to her husband's violent temper and out-of control rages that were made worse by head injuries he sustained in a motor cycle accident. Her journey through a marriage of domestic violence was well-documented, although Charlene was too afraid to press charges.

Her own children turned against her, with her oldest, Jeremy, even testifying for the prosecution, and Charlene was continuously grilled as to why she chose to stay with such a man. The jury in the first murder trial was hung, with one hold-out, Sylvia Les-sie who believed in Charlene's innocence.

In the meantime, the motive of money was bandied about, not only applied to Charlene, but also as to why her children turned against her. They all stood to inherit a couple of million dollars. There was also a half million in life insurance. Shortly before her first trial, Charlene's second boy, Joby, committed suicide and she was blamed for that, too.

Danny Hill's mother, who eventually received her son's life insurance money, expressed her bitterness in court, saying: "She has escaped being called a convicted felon by a few seconds on a clock.." Danny Hill's family requested and was given the voided jury verdict.

Many folks always say they are baffled as to why a woman stays with an abusive man, even when he has threatened to kill her, but I'm not. Just get out. It all sounds so simple, but it's not. If it was, the abuse wouldn't be going on in the first place.

People can understand how an informer for the mafia, for example, decides to get out of that life and would then need to be in the Witness Protection Program. You might even say a mafia informer is better off than a domestic violence victim, if he has information the Feds can use. But a woman with few resources is somehow supposed to get out all on her own, get help and keep a predator at bay. Not just your regular run of the mill predator either -- a predator with parental rights.

The victim wouldn't be fearful to press charges if help was so readily available, and people were willing to step up. In this case, it was even brought out that at one point the two boys, Jeremy and Joby, devised their own plan to murder their father. Instead when all hope dies out, these cases escalate and one or the other person ends up dead.

Technically, the word "killer" might be correct, but it carries connotations that, in my view, don't apply in this case. I admit that, not being privy to the evidence, one can only speculate, but if the kids wanted to do their father in, it couldn't have been good. What does mystify me is a parent who knows their child is a woman and child beater but turns a blind eye. When even the kids can't go to grandparents or other extended family members for help, that tells me that the abuser's relatives care more about the abuser than his offspring, and I don't understand that. Much as I love my own son, if he was abusing his wife and kids, all of them would be living with me except him.

According to a press release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, the 53-year-old Hill could have been sentenced to anywhere from five years to life if she did not agree to take the deal and plead guilty. Under the terms of the agreement, Ms. Hill will have to serve 10 years probation and perform 600 hours of community service. Adjudication of her case will be deferred until the conditions have been met, and the court will make a decision on dismissing her case without finding her guilty if she successfully fulfills all conditions. She will also be allowed to request a shorter probation after five years.

Sources: Embedded