Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Domestic Violence Claims Argued in Murder Trial of Harlem Woman

By DNAinfo Staff on October 6, 2010 7:43pm

Donna Cobb, 42, leaving the courtroom during her trial last week.
Donna Cobb, 42, leaving the courtroom during her trial last week.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Shayna Jacobs

By Yepoka Yeebo

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — Lawyers argued Wednesday over whether a Harlem woman on trial for allegedly murdering her husband had been the victim of domestic violence before the incident.

Donna Cobb, 42, said her husband, Kevin Cobb, was habitually abusive and had choked her in their bedroom on the night of his death in November 2006, prompting her to defend herself.

Psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes testified that Donna Cobb had the symptoms of a woman who was battered over a period of time, noting that abused women do not always tell friends and family or call the police for help. She explained that Cobb's mental state was consistent with someone suffering the traumatic affects of domestic violence.

Dona Cobb originally confessed to hitting her husband with an elephant-shaped ceramic item.
Dona Cobb originally confessed to hitting her husband with an elephant-shaped ceramic item.
View Full Caption
Manhattan District Attormney's Office

But prosecutors attempted to prove that Donna Cobb did not behave like a battered woman, pointing out possible inconsistencies in her testimony about what she did before she dialed 911. They questioned why Cobb originally told police she stabbed her husband with a steak knife when investigators found that it was in fact a butter knife.

Hughes noted that the key facts were not in dispute, and that Donna Cobb repeatedly spoke of "the ultimate act of being choked... and feeling faint and feeling that her husband was finally going to kill her."

Cobb testified previously that she did not mean to kill her husband when she stabbed him and threw an elephant-shaped ceramic item at his head inside their St. Nicholas Avenue apartment.

She faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top charge of second-degree murder. Her children are expected to testify this week.