Brenda Aris

Brenda Aris, mother of three daughters, works as a credit assistant in the accounting office of a lumber company. She appreciates the stability and the normality of this lifestyle since being pardoned two years ago by Governor Wilson for the murder of her husband in 1986.

For more than a decade, Brenda was repeatedly battered by her husband. One night, after he beat her and threatened to kill her, she shot him. At the time of the murder trial courts did not admit expert testimony about battering and its emotional and psychological effects on the victim. The jury convicted Brenda of second degree murder. She was sentenced to 17 years to life.

In prison Brenda worked to better herself by taking classes, getting her high school diploma, and becoming computer literate. During this time, her family, friends, attorneys and members of the victim's family, worked to free her. When her case was brought before then Governor Pete Wilson, he granted clemency. It is Brenda's case that paved the way for the "battered woman's syndrome" to be introduced into the courtroom as a legal defense.

Brenda now dedicates herself to helping her three daughters cope, and others to understand the dynamics of the battered woman. In speaking on panels, and to groups, she alerts women to the signs of an abusive relationship and suggests counseling to better comprehend the situation.