A trial is underway for a Salem woman charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of her boyfriend almost three years ago.
During opening statements in Marion County Circuit Court on Tuesday, defense attorney Matthew Wilzbach conceded that 30-year-old Christina L. Bartley fatally shot Wesley Bivens on the evening of April 15, 2021, at the home the two shared on Miles Lane in rural Salem.
Prosecution witness Jason Craddock, a crime scene investigator with the Illinois State Police, testified that two bullets and a bullet fragment were recovered from Bivens’ body during an autopsy. Two other bullets were discovered lodged in a wall of the house where the shooting occurred.
State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth, in his opening statement, expressed confidence that the jury would see evidence that would yield a guilty verdict.
However, Wilzbach claims that Bartley acted in self-defense. In a videotaped interview played for the jury, which was conducted shortly after the shooting by Lt. Anthony Decker of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Bartley states that she and Bivens got into a heated argument and that Bivens threatened to burn their house down with her inside. She alleges that Bivens grabbed her to prevent her from leaving the home, causing her to strike her head on a door, and knocked her cell phone out of her hand to keep her from calling 9-1-1. She further claims that Bivens followed her into a bedroom and approached her with his hand raised as if he intended to strike her, at which time she fired the first of the five gunshots.
Decker testified on Tuesday that investigators did not find any weapons on Bivens, and there was no evidence that he had actually attempted to burn the house. Witnesses did note that Bartley was cooperative during the investigation and that her account of the incident was generally consistent with the evidence authorities found at the scene.
If convicted, Bartley faces a prison term ranging from 20 to 60 years.
