WATERFORD TWP. (WWJ) - A Waterford Township woman in prison for killing her husband is seeking a pardon from the governor, saying the shooting was self-defense.
Attorneys for Tina Talbot are expected to submit a clemency application to the state on Wednesday, along with a petition that includes signatures from more than 200,000 supporters.
The clemency application requests Talbot, 52, be released from prison, where she has been detained since April, and be reunited with her 8-year-old special needs son.
The parole board has 60 days to review the clemency application once it is filed. If merit is determined, the application is sent to the governor pending an investigation and possible public hearing. A full investigation takes place within nine months from when the application is received.
Authorities say Talbot called 911 on September 14 to report that she had killed her husband, 45-year-old Milosz Szczepanowicz. Officers found his body in the backyard of the couple's home on Meadowood Street, near Cooley Lake and Lochhaven Roads..
The couple's son, who was also allegedly abused by Szczepanowicz, was at home at the time of the shooting, but was unharmed.
Family and friends described Szcepanowicz as a controlling monster who abused Talbot for decades. She reportedly went through a four-day stretch of beatings and sexual abuse from Szcepanowicz, which ended with his murder. At the time of the shooting, Talbot had two partially collapsed lungs, a lacerated spleen, broken arm, broken wrist, severe trauma on her right thigh and a damaged sternum, according to attorneys.
Relatives speaking to The Oakland Press said it was a "do-or-die" situation for Talbot, who underwent surgery and spent several days hospitalized after the killing.
Talbot pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 months to 15 years in prison. Her earliest release date is currently November 13, 2020, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Attorneys say Talbot isn't a criminal but a victim of domestic violence who doesn't belong behind bars. They say Talbot suffered violent physical abuse for more than 20 years and sought help from domestic violence shelters, friends and family, but was never able to fully leave.
"We are urging Governor Gretchen Whitmer to pardon Tina and allow her to go home and live peacefully with her family and care for her special needs child," attorneys said in a statement.
