Chicago woman faces August trial, claims self-defense in killing of boyfriend
A Chicago woman is set to go on trial in August, charged with the murder of her boyfriend, as her attorneys argue she killed him in self-defense after he attacked her while she was 8 months pregnant.
Keshia Golden is charged with first-degree murder in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Calvin Sidney. On Tuesday, Cook County Judge Steven Watkins scheduled her trial to begin on Aug. 17. She is due back in court in July for a status hearing.
Her attorneys have said she stabbed Sidney after he slammed her head into a counter while she was pregnant.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office offered a plea deal last month to lesser charges of second-degree murder, but Golden's supporters rallied in Daley Plaza on Monday, saying all charges against her should be dropped.
"Keshia Golden, as we've said repeatedly, has been sent the chilling, horrifying message that she did not have the legal right to defend herself, that somehow her legal right was to die quietly in compliance with the law, and that is unacceptable," said Holly Krig, director of organizing for Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration.
Golden's attorneys said Sidney had a documented history of domestic violence and Golden was protecting herself and her unborn child when she stabbed him.
"We plan to prove that Ms. Golden acted in defense of herself and her unborn child," said Cook County Assistant Public Defender Kyan Keenan. "We believe that Ms. Golden had the right under the law and that the law exists for self-defense for these exact situations that Ms. Golden found herself in."
Keenan said Golden's defense team has been urging prosecutors to drop the case since she was first charged, but has only gone public with those efforts in recent months in a bid to ramp up pressure on the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
"She's incredibly overwhelmed, as anyone would be in a situation where you're fighting first-degree murder charges simply for trying to survive and protect your unborn child," Keenan said. "The message that the state is sending is that if you defend yourself, you will be punished."
Golden's attorneys said they are confident, if prosecutors proceed with a trial, she will be found not guilty.
"Ms. Golden should not be punished. People are outraged, as well they should be, and we believe that in the end the right thing will happen, and Ms. Golden will be found not guilty of any charges, because this is exactly what the law allows for when it allows an affirmative defense of self-defense," Keenan said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office declined to comment on the specifics of Golden's case, saying only that, "In every case, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office carefully evaluates the facts and the law to make appropriate charging decisions."