Page 22 - Jack Proctor News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Ever. >> reporter: she says she ran to the bedroom and got the gun from the closet. the gun her colleague frank had loaned her. >> i said i have a gun. he's laughing at me, telling me i'm a coward and i'm never, ever going to tell anybody. >> reporter: so he's like taunting you. >> he's taunting me. >> reporter: saying you don't have the courage to shoot me. >> calling me, you know, a pitch a bitch, telling me what a rottern person i am, screaming at me. >> reporter: and in that moment of fear, ellen said, she pulled the trigger not once, not twice but repeatedly. >> and i emptied the gun. i h...

Just as he had been on the day she shot her husband. michael was still a minor when the killing happened. and so in exchange for his cooperation, he was given immunity and faced no charges. as we sit here, you're about to go into that courtroom and a judge is going to pronounce sentence. >> yeah. >> you ready for what's coming? >> how do you say you're ready for that? i know that it has to happen. i know it has to happen for this to be over. so i don't know that i can say yes, i'm ready, but it's going to happen. >> we have what became eight years of concealment of lies -- >> the prosecution a...

So in her view it was self-defense but maybe she was guilty of manslaughter or second degree murder, but you couldn't prosecute her for either of those offenses? >> that's correct. the statute of limitations here in new mexico on a state case like this prohibited us from going forward on any of those lesser types of offenses. >> reporter: ellen snyder's defense attorney penni adrian knew a first degree murder conviction could mean a life sentence for ellen but felt the prosecution would have a tough time making their case. >> the premeditation would be hard to prove, but even harder would be t...

Ellen's 6-year-old daughter was fast asleep in the bedroom. she didn't wake up but ellen's son michael who's 17 was in his bedroom and he did. >> he was calling 911. i told him to hang up, mierkal. >> reporter: and he hung up. >> and he hung up. and i sat down on the steps and waited for the police to come. >> reporter: but the police never did show. >> i covered him up. i told michael to get ready for school. i told him, i shot mike. you just need to go to school. >> reporter: how was michael doing at this point? >> i thought he was doing okay. >> reporter: evidently, michael was not okay. he...

Classic battered wife's explanation for her bruises? a few days later cassell says he heard yelling coming from ellen's office. >> i hear world war iii breaking loose in the office next to me. there was a guy screaming in there. >> reporter: turns out the loud, angry voice belonged to none other than mike snyder. >> he's standing on this side of the desk, she's standing on her side of the desk and he's just screaming and he stops. and i barge in and he looks at me, i told him, i said you know, you can't do this here and he basically told me i needed to mind my own f'ing business. >> reporter: ...