The murder trial of Olympic shot put medalist David Laut continued this week, where the suspect Jane Laut pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges, according to KTLA News.
Ms. Jane Laut, 52, is the former wife of the victim. Her late husband was shot multiple times in the head on the night of August 28 in the backyard of their home. He was famous for winning a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games and a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympic Games. David Laut was raised in the Southern California area where he won two NCAA titles at UCLA, before his Olympic days.
Ron Bamieh, the Los Angeles criminal defense attorney representing Ms. Laut says that his client acted in self defense when it came to her husband's murder. Mr. Bamieh claims that his client wrestled the gun from her abusive husband after he became intoxicated and said he was going to kill her, their 10-year-old son and their dogs, according to KTLA.
"The death of Mr. Laut was a tragic result of his almost 29 years of abuse of Jane Laut," Mr. Bamieh told Associated Press. "Jane was willing to suffer in silence for the rest of her life. What she was not willing to do was allow her son to be abused as she has been."
KTLA reports that Ms. Laut was arrested for the crime at a traffic stop last Saturday by Oxnard police on a warrant that had been issued earlier in the week. She is currently being held on $3 million bail and faces life in prison if she is convicted of the first degree murder charges. Ms. Laut entered her plea on Tuesday morning in Ventura Superior Court.
Related Resources:
- Murder: First Degree (FindLaw)
- Developing a Defense Strategy (FindLaw)
- Los Angeles criminal defense attorney directory (FindLaw)
