Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
COULD THIS NEW LAW LET A CONVICTED KILLER GO FREE? A Lyons, New York woman who pled guilty to her involvement in the death of her ex-boyfriend and his fiancée may have found her golden ticket to freedom.
Since 2019, Charlene Childers has been serving a 28-year sentence for the deaths of Joshua Niles and his fiancée Amber Washburn. Prosecutors said she orchestrated their killings with the gunman, her then-husband Timothy Dean. Dean was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murders. But Childers could potentially get out early.
In 2019, New York lawmakers passed the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act which allows a judge to consider past abuse when sentencing a defendant. Based on Childers' application, she was granted a hearing to plead her case. Her mother, Laurel Short, alleged Childers was sexually abused by two men while she was a teenager, and accused Niles of verbally and physically abusing her while they were dating. The prosecution argued that the allegations are all new and were not brought up as possible motive in the original trial.
Prosecutors say that Childers theoretically could get out on time served if the judge resentences her. However, she would still be convicted of manslaughter in the first degree, as well as criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Childers is due back in court October 14.
#NewYork #CrimeNews #DomesticViolence
COULD THIS NEW LAW LET A CONVICTED KILLER GO FREE? A Lyons, New York woman who pled guilty to her involvement in the death of her ex-boyfriend and his fiancée may have found her golden ticket to freedom.
Since 2019, Charlene Childers has been serving a 28-year sentence for the deaths of Joshua Niles and his fiancée Amber Washburn. Prosecutors said she orchestrated their killings with the gunman, her then-husband Timothy Dean. Dean was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murders. But Childers could potentially get out early.
In 2019, New York lawmakers passed the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act which allows a judge to consider past abuse when sentencing a defendant. Based on Childers' application, she was granted a hearing to plead her case. Her mother, Laurel Short, alleged Childers was sexually abused by two men while she was a teenager, and accused Niles of verbally and physically abusing her while they were dating. The prosecution argued that the allegations are all new and were not brought up as possible motive in the original trial.
Prosecutors say that Childers theoretically could get out on time served if the judge resentences her. However, she would still be convicted of manslaughter in the first degree, as well as criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Childers is due back in court October 14.
#NewYork #CrimeNews #DomesticViolence
