A murder trial is underway this week in Warren County Circuit Court for Ashley N. Hunter, 31, who is charged in the 2015 shooting death of her husband at their home north of Foristell.Hunter’s husband, Nicholas Hunter, 30, was shot to death four years ago this month. Hunter was arrested a week later, charged by prosecutors with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Defense attorneys now look to convince Warren County jurors that Hunter was acting in self-defense when she killed her husband.After years of delay, Hunter appeared Monday in front of a jury of 11 men and three women (including two alternates), and the trial began. The trial is in front of Senior Circuit Court Judge Keith M. Sutherland. It is scheduled to continue until Tuesday, Jan. 22.In the opening days of the trial, attorneys presented competing narratives of the shooting that caused the death of Nick Hunter.Warren County Prosecuting Attorney Kelly King introduced forensic and witness testimony describing how Nick Hunter had died, building the case for a murder conviction. Law enforcement officers testified to what they observed and the evidence they collected at the Hunters’ home the night of the shooting, as well as information from their interactions with Ashley Hunter.Defense attorney Scott Rosenblum, meanwhile, described Ashley Hunter as being the victim of an abusive relationship, which ended when Hunter allegedly shot her husband in self-defense. At several times, Rosenblum questioned the certainty with which investigators could recreate the events leading to Nick Hunter’s death.The night of the shootingEmergency responders were called to the Hunters’ home on Old Cotton Road at 7:52 p.m. Jan. 15, 2015, after Ashley Hunter shot her husband multiple times, according to a 2015 law enforcement report.Ashley Hunter called 911, authorities said. Hunter told police at the time that she and her husband had been in a physical altercation.Warren County sheriff’s deputies found Nicholas Hunter dead on the living room floor.Ashley Hunter was transported to a hospital for evaluation, and was released later the same night.The couple had been married for less than a year, according to police. Two children inside the home, who were ages 5 and 7 at the time, were not harmed.Since her arrest, Hunter has been incarcerated at the Warren County Jail under a $1 million, cash-only bond. Multiple trial dates over the last two years have been canceled and rescheduled.

Defendant Ashley N. Hunter, far right, stands with her attorneys during the second day of her murder trial in Warren County Circuit Court. Prosecutors accuse Hunter of murder in the killing of her husband, Nick Hunter. At left is Ashley Hunter’s primary defense attorney, Scott N. Rosenblum. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins