A Massachusetts woman is facing multiple violent charges against her husband, who survived the attack, but claims it was in self-defense. Lucy Medina says she is the victim in the situation as she suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband, Luis Medina, before she sliced his throat. 

Domestic Violence Attack

Lucy Medina attacked her husband with a knife, cutting his throat on July 17, 2020. She was indicted on aggravated assaults, battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a family member. However, she claims it was in self-defense, and her defense notes that her husband “has never given his account of what occurred” when he was stabbed.

Prosecutors have requested that the defense be barred from introducing “remote, vague, hearsay statements” about previous domestic violence incidents, but the judge has yet to make a decision. Lucy’s defense attorneys intend to have an expert in PTSD and battered women’s syndrome testify on their behalf. They also intend to call upon a forensic psychologist who is expected to testify that the couple’s relationship was “parasitic and toxic.”

Luis Medina Supports His Wife

The prosecution has Luis Medina on their witness list to testify in the trial. Still, Lucy’s defense attorney, Hank Brennan, expressed in a motion that Luis will likely assert his Fifth Amendment and spousal privilege to refuse to testify. Brennan was also the special prosecutor in Karen Read’s retrial for the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. He was unable to achieve a conviction in her case and was disappointed that it resulted from the intimidation of state witnesses. 

Lucy’s defense said they intend to focus on the issues of who was the aggressor the day of the attack, and if the defendant’s use of force was justified, and uncover who the true victim of violence was. They have a letter from Luis Medina that they plan to enter into evidence for trial that says, “Mr. Medina firmly believes that if Defendant was the source of his injuries, she acted in self-defense. He is adamant that Defendant committed no crime.”

Delivering Opening Statements

Lucy had been continuing her day-to-day on personal recognizance as she awaited trial. Now, both sides deliver their opening statements with Assistant District Attorney Patrick Burke urging jurors to question Lucy’s actions during a heated argument and whether they were reasonable. Lucy Medina “made a choice” to reach for a knife and stab her husband in the neck, Burke said.

Hank Brennan opened, explaining that Lucy was a victim of abuse for years before the stabbing. He said her state of mind at the time of the attack was not coherent. The prosecution was not there the night of the attack; therefore, they cannot fully claim she was not the victim. Photos show that Lucy had been brutally beaten and was unable to walk away. Brennan emphasized that the defendant did what she had to do to survive. 

Witness Testimony Begins

The first few witnesses were called to the stand, including an upstairs neighbor, Maria Sanchez. She lived above the couple, and she did not hear the Medinas fight or argue on July 17, nor did she witness the incident. When officers arrived after someone called 911, Lucy was found in disarray with blood all over her and crying hysterically.

The jury listened to Lucy Medina’s 911 call and saw the photos that investigators took of her face, hands, and clothing that were covered in blood that evening, as Lucy sat in court, visibly distraught and crying over the situation. Afterward, Hank Brennan cross-examined Sergeant William Colantuoni from the Lawrence Police Department. He questioned him repeatedly on whether he knew the cause of Lucy’s injuries that were shown, and he said Lucy told them she thought she had been punched a few times.

Colantuoni said he was unaware of Luis Medina’s claims to a trauma doctor that he slit his own throat, and he did not know about the letter that the defense had obtained from Luis’s attorney admitting the defendant was acting in self-defense. Colantuoni also said he did not know about Lucy’s friend’s statements on the alleged abuse she suffered throughout her marriage.