DUVAL COUNTY, FL – Shannon McCarthy, a 45-year-old woman from Duval County, is asserting a self-defense argument in her ongoing murder trial. McCarthy was charged with second-degree murder in July last year following the discovery of her girlfriend, Heather Sheppard’s body on her front porch.
Sheppard, a 42-year-old mother, was last seen in June last year. When family members grew concerned about not hearing from her, they reached out to McCarthy. According to an arrest report, McCarthy said that Sheppard was “sick and still in bed.”
Family members claimed they noticed a foul odor emanating from the porch of the home and mentioned that McCarthy had prevented anyone from entering the house. Relatives also said McCarthy changed her story multiple times.
Following the incident, McCarthy’s attorney filed a ‘stand your ground’ motion this week. It argued that the two women had been in a prolonged argument. The motion further claimed that Sheppard had been using drugs and acting aggressively. It alleged that Sheppard had approached McCarthy with a shotgun, and in the ensuing struggle, McCarthy had fallen and then shot Sheppard after retrieving her pistol in fear of being shot herself.
McCarthy’s defense pointed to the location of the bullet wounds on Sheppard’s body to argue that McCarthy had fired from the ground in a defensive posture. However, Sheppard’s daughter testified that her mother had never used a gun and had a fear of such weapons.
A judge is scheduled to decide on the dismissal of McCarthy’s charges based on the self-defense argument on September 17.