Kansas Teen Claims Self-Defense In Shooting Death Of Mom

A Kansas teen is facing a voluntary manslaughter change for shooting his mother in what he says was self-defense.

An attorney argues that a boy who was 14 when he shot and killed his alcoholic mother at a mansion near Wichita was legally defending himself and his then 12-year-old brother.

They want the charge dropped in the June 2018 shooting death of 41-year-old Lisa Trimmell. Her sons were the only people present at the time of the shooting, which occurred about a month after her husband filed for divorce.

The unnamed teen fired a single shot at his mom in an effort to stop her while she was attacking the younger brother, then called 911.

Attorney Dan Monnat says the older boy “acted bravely and legally in defending himself and his younger brother … from her attack.”

The boys say they suffered years of physical and psychological abuse, and were both diagnosed with PTSD prior to the shooting. Trimmell was told by the counselor that her drinking triggered their PTSD.

The autopsy found Trimmell had “acute and chronic alcoholism” due to hepatic cirrhosis of the liver. Her blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit for driving when she was killed.

The teen’s first appearance in juvenile court is scheduled for Friday.