Was it murder or an act of self-defense?
That question sits at the heart of the murder trial for a former exotic dancer accused of the 2017 killing of her pharmaceutical executive boyfriend.
Jury selection began on Tuesday in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the trial of Jennifer Morrisey, 34, who was in a relationship with Michael McNew, 64, when he was found dead on Aug. 8, 2017, in the Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, home the two had shared.
McNew was shot in the head, between his eyes, police say.
According to the allegations, Morrisey and McNew, a district sales manager for AbbVie, had dated for four years.
The Philadelphia Inquirerreports the couple allegedly met while Morrisey was working as an exotic dancer, and that the two bonded over a shared love of motorcycles.
Opening statements in the trial were set for Thursday, according to the paper.
Morrisey is being tried for first- and second-degree murder, burglary, possession of instruments of crime and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
She also allegedly buried McNew’s phone and computer in the backyard of another man she was romantically involved with.
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According to detectives, Morrisey and McNew spent hours before the killing arguing via text message.
The Inquirerreports that McNew’s messages alternate between telling Morrisey he loved her and asking her to come over, and threatening to shoot her.
In one response, Morrisey allegedly boasted she would “gut” McNew like she was “field dressing a deer.”
The paper reports that Morrisey’s defense attorney, S. Philip Steinberg, has argued McNew was manipulative and abusive. Steinberg alleges Morrisey was lured to McNew’s home on the pretense that she would retrieve her belongings, but was instead confronted with a gun. He claims she acted out of self-defense.
Prosecutors allege it was greed that drove Morrisey to kill; McNew was supporting her financially, and made her the beneficiary of two of his life insurance policies, totaling more than $360,000.
The Inquirerreports the prosecution presented audio evidence during pretrial hearings, in which Morrisey denied planning the murder, and dismisses the confrontation texts as “a pissing match to see who was more disrespectful,” and not credible threats.
Morrisey has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
source: people.com
