(CNN)In 2010, Marissa Alexander discharged a firearm in the direction of her estranged husband, Rico Gray -- a so-called "warning shot" that missed him by several inches. Their two children were present. Although no one was injured, she was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. Alexander claimed self-defense, but a judge declined to grant self-defense immunity ("stand-your-ground"). The case went to trial where a jury convicted Alexander after just 12 minutes of deliberation, triggering a mandatory 20-year sentence. The verdict prompted outrage as it highlighted the absurdly draconian punishments that can result from minimum mandatory sentencing guidelines that demand a certain punishment regardless of the underlying facts of the case.
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Minimal mandatory sentencing laws demand harsh punishment regardless of the facts of a case
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Mark O'Mara: The case of Marissa Alexander shows the need for the laws to be more reasonable
Rico Gray
There, she took the gun from the glove compartment of her car and she re-entered the house, engaged @placeholder, and fired the weapon.