A Mississippi woman, aged 31, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of her boyfriend. The incident occurred two years ago when the man returned home with McDonald’s for her and their children after a heated argument. Alexandria M. Griste was handed the sentence by Circuit Court Judge Gray Tollison following a three-day trial. The jury took only three hours to convict Griste of imperfect self-defense manslaughter.
Imperfect self-defense is a legal term referring to situations where the defendant’s actions in killing the victim are not justifiable, but also lack the malice required for a murder conviction. The case was brought to trial after the Oxford, Mississippi, Police Department responded to a reported shooting at a residence on South Lamar Boulevard in the early hours of June 8, 2022.
Upon arrival, first responders found an adult male, later identified as Corey Lyles, suffering from a gunshot wound. Lyles was pronounced dead at the scene. Griste, who had placed the 911 call, was taken into custody and initially charged with first-degree murder.
Court testimonies revealed that Griste had become upset with Lyles on the evening of June 7, 2022, because he had left the house without informing her. Text messages between the couple showed them discussing Lyles picking up McDonald’s before their argument escalated. Griste had texted Lyles, warning him that he would be “dead” if he returned home.
The couple had been in a volatile relationship for about a year, with witnesses reporting arguments between them at a softball game the previous day. Griste told police that upon Lyles’ return, she retrieved a 9 mm handgun from her room. She alleged that Lyles approached her aggressively, prompting her to fire three warning shots. When Lyles continued advancing, Griste fired a shot through the front door window, hitting him in the chest.
Griste’s defense attorney, Steve Farese, argued throughout the trial that his client acted in self-defense. He maintained that Griste never intended to kill Lyles, stating, “What kind of world is it if a woman can’t protect herself and her children?” However, prosecutors countered that there was no evidence to suggest Lyles posed a threat to Griste. District Attorney Ben Creekmore argued that Griste was the one who provoked Lyles and deliberately escalated the situation before the shooting.