Woman sentenced for shooting her boyfriend dead after he brought food home for her and her kids

Friday, October 25, 2024 - A woman attempted to plead self-defense in the shooting death of her boyfriend as he returned to their shared home with McDonald's for her and the children, but the jury wasn't buying it.

Alexandria Griste, 31, had initially been charged with first-degree murder after police in Oxford, Mississippi responded to her 9-1-1 call on June 8, 2022.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, but Griste was able to avoid a first-degree murder conviction.

After three hours of deliberation, the jury found her guilty of the lesser charge of imperfect self-defense manslaughter.

On Tuesday, October 22, Griste was sentenced to 20 years in the state penitentiary following her conviction the previous Friday, October 18, as covered by The Oxford Eagle. It is the maximum sentence allowed for that conviction.

Griste made a statement at her sentencing. She told the judge she did not intend to hurt anyone, "but I was protecting myself and my children."

In court, testimony revealed that Griste and Lyles had begun arguing via text message on the evening of July 7, 2022, purportedly because he'd left the house without telling her.

Text messages revealed in court showed the combative couple discussing Lyles picking up McDonald's for the family before they began to argue. At one point, she sent him a text that said he'd be "dead" if he returned to the home they shared, per The Oxford Eagle.

She reportedly retrieved a 9mm gun from her sock drawer and waited for him to pull up at the house, where the argument continued. Testimony stated that her intent was only to warn him off so he would leave.

Griste purportedly stated that Lyles was angry and moving toward her aggressively, which is why she fired three warning shots.

The defendant described Lyles as an MMA fighter, explaining, per the paper, that he had hurt her before. No evidence of past abuse was presented during the trial.

She said that when he continued coming at her, she fired through a window in their door at him. Police reported finding Lyles' body several feet from the door.

Her defense attorney, Steve Farese, said that there was no evidence to prove she was not in fear for her life at that moment, emphasizing that she'd been cooperative with law enforcement throughout, and even had been the one to place the 9-1-1 call.

"What kind of a world is it if a woman can't protect herself and her children?" Farese said in his closing, per The Eagle.

The prosecution countered this narrative, with District Attorney Ben Creekmore stating in court, per the newspaper, that there was no indication Lyles had arrived at the house with intention to harm anyone as he'd come with food for her and her children, and remained in his vehicle after pulling up for several minutes.