Murder Trial Begins, Dispatcher Claims Self-Defense

A former Boston police dispatcher admits she fatally stabbed her husband in 2007, but that it was in self-defense after he attacked her in a drunken, violent rage. Sharon Fitzpatrick was arrested after the incident, and charged with murder after prosecutors say she was mad that Sylvester Mitchell was late to a birthday party she threw him. Mitchell was out drinking with friends, prosecutors say, and arrived home four hours behind schedule, prompting Fitzgerald’s anger and the stabbing. According to the defense, Mitchell had been violent against Fitzpatrick in the past. She has five children, and her attorney says she was working three jobs at the time of the crime. Read more here.