Ashley N. Hunter, the Foristell woman accused of murder for the 2015 shooting death of her husband, has been found not guilty on charges of murder and armed criminal action.The jury deliberated four hours Monday night after hearing six days of testimony, according to the Warren County Circuit Court Clerk's Office. The ultimate question put before jurors was whether Hunter was justified in shooting her husband, Nicholas Hunter, 30, at least six times on the night of Jan. 15, 2015.Ashley Hunter, 31, called 911 just before 8 p.m. that night to report that she had shot her husband after a physical altercation. Law enforcement arrived to find Nick Hunter dead on the living room floor.Defense attorney Scott Rosenblum told Warren County jurors Hunter had shot her husband in self defense while he was assaulting her. Hunter described a history of abuse during their short marriage, which lasted less than a year.Prosecutor Kelly King argued that Hunter's statements to law enforcement about what happened that night were inconsistent, and that investigators did not observe any obvious signs of her being injured. King told the jury she believed Hunter walked away from an argument with her husband and then returned with a gun to shoot him.After final arguments, a jury of 10 men and two women were tasked with answering whether the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Hunter had committed murder. They also were allowed to consider convicting her of lesser manslaughter charges.The jury was sent to deliberate at 3:05 p.m. At 6:45, they returned with a verdict of not guilty for both murder and armed criminal action.Hunter is being released after being incarcerated in the Warren County Jail almost four years to the day while she awaited trial.For more information about the testimony presented at trial, read the Jan. 24 issue of the Warren County Record.

Defendant Ashley N. Hunter and her attorneys listen as the prosecution delivers closing arguments Jan. 21. Hunter was accused of murder for the shooting death of her husband in 2015. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins

Ashley Hunter

Nicholas Hunter