LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS) – Jury deliberations are currently underway in the trial of a Lexington County man accused of murdering a 72-year-old woman nearly five years ago.
The shooting stemmed from a fight over stray cats.
Prosecutors said Sean Malahy shot 72-year-old Judy Dyanne Burnett in the face. Malahy admits to firing the gun, but insists he pulled the trigger in self-defense.
The shooting happened outside of a Food Lion in Lexington County back in December of 2020. Investigators said Burnett got into an argument with Malahy’s mom over feeding feral cats.
They said that when Malahy engaged in the argument, it led to him shooting Burnett in the face. She later died on the way to the hospital.
Police said Malahy and Burnett knew each other for years and had a history of disagreements about caring for stray cats.
In its closing argument, defense attorney John McCauley said Malahy fired his gun in self-defense, saying he feared Burnett would overpower him and put his mother in danger.
“This was a fight, an assault, a chaotic scene. Clearly, what Sean was concerned about was getting injured and losing control of the situation,” he said.
However, Kelly Oppenheimer, lead prosecutor, insists that the evidence tells a different story.
“You can not gun down an unarmed 72-year-old woman who is in poor health. This is not self-defense. This is murder. Let’s call it what it is,” she said.
For Burnett’s family, the trial has been a long two weeks, capped off with closing arguments on Friday.
This is a developing story and will be updated when a verdict is reached.
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