A Selma woman charged in the shooting death of her husband will not stand trial for the killing.
A Dallas County grand jury on Thursday heard testimony from 38-year-old Jacqueline Dixon and, when it was over, declined to issue an indictment against, said District Attorney Michael Jackson.
The shooting happened July 31 outside Jacqueline Dixon’s home on Church Street. Police officers were dispatched around 8:30 a.m. and upon arrival, Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier said, officers found 44-year-old Carl Omar Dixon unresponsive in the front yard.
Jackson said the couple had domestic issues in the past. He said the argument started after Carl Omar Dixon found a condom at his wife's house that did not belong to him and he thought she was cheating.
Investigators presented their findings to the District Attorney’s Office and a murder-domestic violence warrant was issued for Jacqueline Dixon. “The grand jury decided that she acted in self-defense after she and her husband argued over the condom,’’ Jackson said Friday. “It’s sad that they couldn’t work out their problems before somebody ended up dead.”
A team of attorneys representing Jaqueline Dixon, whose arrest caught the attention of domestic violence advocates nationwide, planned to ask for a Stand Your Ground hearing if she had been indicted.
In 2006, Alabama adopted Stand Your Ground provisions to its self-defense law, eliminating the duty to retreat from situations as long as the person defending themselves is not doing something unlawful. Legislators also added a provision that says a person who is justified using force, including deadly physical force, "is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the force was determined to be unlawful."
At a Stand Your Ground hearing, the defense team can present evidence and ask the judge to dismiss the charges based on the provision.
Attorney Richard Rice previously said Jaqueline Dixon should be awarded self-defense protections. "At the time of the shooting, Jacqueline Dixon did feel like her life was in danger," he said. "In that type of situation, she should have a right to defend herself and defend her family."
Court records show in 2016, Jacqueline Dixon was granted a protection from abuse order against her husband and was awarded temporary custody of the couple's two children. But, Jackson and Collier said, Jacqueline Dixon didn't always seek enforcement of the protection order.
Rice on Friday said he is confident Jacqueline Dixon would have prevailed had the case gone to trial, but said he is thankful she no longer has to experience the stress and anxiety of a trial. “This is a huge relief for her,’’ Rice said. “I just told her, and she was in tears. It’s bittersweet, of course, but there is relief.”
It is rare for a suspect to get the opportunity to present his or her side of the story to a grand jury, and Rice lauded Jackson for allowing that to happen. “That is a testament to Mr. Jackson’s leadership. I appreciate them giving her the opportunity,’’ Rice said. “She really did a good job.”
Jacqueline Dixon, he said, has received an outpouring of support from advocates for domestic violence victims both in Alabama and across the country. He said her legal team will continue to be there for her as she now tries to move forward with her life.
He said she recently obtained her real estate license. She plans to focus on work and raising her children.
“I’m thankful she can have peace of mind,’’ Rice said. “I’m glad it’s a closed book.”