Maleia Cole, of Camden, appears in court next to her public defender Meg Butler, center, Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, during a detention hearing at the Superior Court in Camden N.J. Cole was charged with murder for the beating death of her boyfriend Jason Lewis in September. (Jose F. Moreno /Camden Courier-Post via AP, Pool)
Republished October 06, 2017 - 1:08 PM
Original Publication Date October 06, 2017 - 11:31 AM
CAMDEN, N.J. - A defence lawyer for a woman accused of fatally beating her boyfriend with two metal frying pans claims that she was abused by the man.
A police probable cause statement shows that Maleia Cole told police she was angry that Jason Lewis had walked out of the trailer where they lived after an argument.
Public defender Meg Butler said that while Cole wasn't acting in self-defence, she suffered from "more of a battered-woman syndrome." She claimed that drug use led to outbursts from Lewis.
Superior Court Judge Edward McBride noted that Cole admitted to the Sept. 2 attack and ordered her held in Camden County Jail until her trial.
Lewis died from his injuries on Sept. 26.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017