State’s Attorney Burke,

I am writing to you in support of Keshia Golden to request that you dismiss charges against her. Ms. Golden is a 34-year-old mother of a toddler who is currently charged with first-degree murder for the outcome of an act of self-defense. Ms. Golden herself has no criminal record, but there are many police and court records of violence perpetrated against her by her abuser. Ms. Golden estimates that she called 911 over 50 times between 2021 and 2022. 

On October 22, 2022, Ms. Golden was 8 months pregnant with her first child, having had a miscarriage the year prior. She had just enjoyed a baby shower given by friends and family and was looking forward to motherhood. That evening, while intoxicated and using drugs, her abuser attacked Ms. Golden, slamming her head against the kitchen counter. Ms. Golden grabbed a knife, the only available weapon with which to defend herself from someone who physically overpowered her. Ms. Golden stabbed her abuser in the leg, thinking that this would stop him, but not kill him. Afterward, Ms. Golden fled, fearing that her abuser would continue his attack. Ms. Golden, who is not an expert in human anatomy, did not realize that the knife had entered his femoral artery. Tragically, he died as a result of the wound. Ms. Golden was later treated at the hospital for her injuries. 

It is clear to us, as it undoubtedly was to Ms. Golden at the time, that her abuser had the ability to kill her and her unborn child. The evidence of Ms. Golden’s body and the statistics bear this out. The National Violent Death Reporting System finds that 45.3% of homicides of pregnant women and women who are within one year of pregnancy involve intimate partner violence. As advocates, we know that intimate partner violence often escalates during pregnancy. The reasons are believed to include both the growing vulnerability of pregnant women, as well as a perceived loss of control on the part of the abuser. It may also be congruent with the fact that abusive partners hurt children as a form of abuse against both kids and their mothers. 

Ms. Golden's abuser's actions were made more unpredictable by drugs and alcohol. The violence that escalated against her on the evening of her baby shower was a clear message to Ms. Golden that either she or her baby (or both) would die that night. It is very clear to us, as advocates and experts, that Ms. Golden was acting in defense of her life, her unborn child, and had no intent to do anything more than stop him from assaulting and possibly killing her.

Thanks to a growing community of advocates rallying support, and a judge who understood that Ms. Golden is not a danger to anyone, Ms. Golden was released from Cook County Jail. She did not have to experience the fear and grief of giving birth in custody. Like other mothers, whom you will hear from directly and who benefited from dismissed or greatly reduced charges, she has been able to comply with the terms of her pretrial release. Pretrial release has also allowed Ms. Golden to care for her only child, take classes that will help her build a career, and do the thing she’s never had the opportunity to do before: heal, not only from physical wounds, but the long history of violence in her life. 

We hope that you will consider that in addition to the history of violence and her physical injuries, Ms. Golden is a witness to her own victimization. As advocates, we say we believe and support victims. That doesn’t mean we only support “perfect victims” who have no history of fighting back. If we only supported “perfect victims,” we would likely spend much more of our time as advocates both in court and at funerals, an outcome none of us want. 

This death is tragic. While he was Ms. Golden's abuser, he was a whole person who is no doubt mourned by friends and family. He is also mourned by Ms. Golden, who only wanted to be with him, until all she wanted was to get safely away from him—only that was no longer an option. The public often blames victims for not leaving, or not leaving sooner, but we know that there are lots of reasons for staying, including poverty, coercive control, and direct threats to the victim and their kids. When an abuser harms the children as a way of abusing the mom, we often prosecute the mom. When the abuser kills the woman, we still blame her. But, it is uncommon to ask why the abuser did not “just leave” when he is killed. Instead, we view the abuser as entitled to their violence, entitled to occupy their victim’s life, which makes us all less safe. 

Both should be alive. Ms. Golden should never have had to defend herself against the violence of her partner, and the father of her baby, whom she loved. They should both be alive and living separately, with the full support of communities who address people who batter and people who are battered as human beings in need of healing resources. But, the failure to fully fund and develop supportive resources, including housing and financial assistance, should not fall on Ms. Golden or her abusive partner.

The outcome of prosecuting Ms. Golden will not be justice, and it is unlikely to provide any long term peace to those who loved the deceased. The assertion that Ms. Golden intended to kill him is unfounded, incorrect, and a painful message to his loved ones. It is also a chilling message from the state to Ms. Golden, her daughter, and all of us that our only absolute legal right, in the face of violence from partners or family members, is to die. 

Prosecution only continues the cycle of violence against Ms. Golden and her child. The outcome will not be justice—whether acquittal or conviction. Not every tragedy has sides, and it doesn’t require a villain or a person with criminal intent. But we can meet tragedy with a pathway to healing, and that is something we can support as a community of advocates who care deeply about all involved. We ask you to do what you alone have the power to do: Dismiss these charges so we can pursue a restorative path whose goal is healing for families who have both tragedy and a beloved child in common.