Marissa Alexander, the African-American mother from Florida serving a 20-year sentence for self-defense, had a status hearing on Thursday morning. At the conclusion of the hearing, Alexander received a new March 31 trial date, and a bail hearing is set for Nov. 8.
Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison in March 2012 for firing a warning shot to stop an attack by her abusive husband. Her case has frequently been compared to that of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was found not guilty on grounds of self-defense for the killing of Trayvon Martin, while Alexander was denied protection under the Stand Your Ground law and sentenced to 20 years although no one was injured by her action. She has already spent more than two years in prison.
At the end of September, a Florida Appeals Court overturned Alexander’s guilty verdict due to fundamental errors by the prosecution.
