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A Florida woman has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for firing a gun into... the ceiling of her home in front of her husband and their two young children. Though Marissa Alexander, 31, was claiming she shot in self-defence, citing the state’s now-infamous Stand Your Ground law, the jury and prosecutors said in this case, the law could not be invoked. Disbelief: Marissa Alexander breaks down in court as she is sentenced to 20 years for firing a gun during a fight with her husband Stand your ground: Alexander turned down a three-year plea bargain, hoping she could prove her innocence in front of a jury The case puts in sharp relief the February shooting of Sanford, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by Neighbourhood Watch Captain George Zimmerman. Zimmerman insisted that he shot the unarmed teen in self-defence. Authorities waited weeks before arresting him. Alexander had already taken out a protective order on her husband, First Coast News reported. Her mother told WOKV-TV that her husband threatened to kill her.
