ACTION ALERT - Defend Wendy Howard

Heidi • November 2, 2022

Wendy is a mother and grandmother who killed her abusive ex in self defense and was charged with murder

California Coalition for Women Prisoners, a supporter organization of the Felony Murder Elimination Project, is organizing a Twitter Power Hour to raise awareness about Wendy Howard’s case and to help raise funds for her legal defense. CCWP and other organizations will be participating by answering questions during the hour.



Here’s a quick, easy checklist of what you need to do:


  1. Follow @defendwendy on Twitter.
  2. On Wednesday, November 2 -  TODAY -  from 12 noon to 1PM, like, comment and share tweets from @defendwendy. Join in the conversation.


That’s it!


*****


Wendy Howard and her daughters were physically, sexually, and verbally abused by Wendy's abusive partner as far back as 2002 when they first met. Some of these incidents


  • He beat Wendy with a baseball bat while she was pregnant with their daughter. Felony charges were filed against him in Ventura County.
  • He attempted to rape Wendy.
  • He sexually assaulted one of Wendy’s minor daughters, touching her inappropriately, exposing his genitals to her, and trying to coerce her into watching pornography with him.
  • He has also been accused by other women in the community of abuse.


Wendy took legal action to try and stop all the abuse, but her appeals were ignored by the Kern County District Attorney. Finally, in 2019, the abuser sexually assaulted his (and Wendy’s) biological daughter, who was also a minor. When Wendy discovered the assault, she immediately filed a report with the Tehachapi Police Department, which opened an investigation but took no action. Four days later, the abuser attacked Wendy at her home while her children and grandchildren were in the house, and Wendy was forced to shoot him in self-defense.


She was found not guilty on all charges but voluntary manslaughter, which the jury deadlocked on. She will return to court on Friday November 18th for a status hearing, where the DA will announce if they plan to retry Wendy on the one remaining charge of voluntary manslaughter, try to negotiate a lesser plea deal, or drop the charges.


Use the checklist above to advocate for Wendy and show your support on Twitter during the Power Hour TODAY. To read more about Wendy's story, visit www.defendwendy.com

new homepage
By Heidi August 9, 2025
Felony Murder Elimination Project officially launches the organization's new website and web address: fmeproject.org
Faith leaders Demetrius Minor, and Fr. Dustin Feddor deliver a petition to the Florida State Capitol
By Heidi August 7, 2025
Florida religious leaders are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to pause executions after more persons were put to death in one year since the death penalty was reinstated.
California Rehabilitation Center will close next year (Photo: Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press)
By Heidi August 6, 2025
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation intends to close the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, CA, in 2026, saving the state $150m.
logo- felony murder elimination proct
By Heidi August 5, 2025
Felony Murder Elimination Project is conducting an Impact Study on California’s felony murder rule, and is seeking more community input in relevant responses
Illustration: Gabriel Hongsdusit/CalMatters
By Heidi August 1, 2025
Featured in CalMatters is the case of Nathan Gould in context of SB 672, would allow Californians sentenced to LWOP that occurred at age 25 years or younger chance to go before the Parole Board after serving 25 years of their sentence.
State of Texas with handcuffs
By Heidi July 31, 2025
"Texas Hold'em: How the Prison System Keeps its Grip on Parole-Eligible People" is written by Kwaneta Harris, and appears on her Substack page, Write or Die.
Charles McCrory (Photo: Alabama Department of Correctios)
By Heidi July 29, 2025
In 1985, Charles McCrory was wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife in Alabama with “bite mark” evidence, now considered junk science and a leading contributor of wrongful convictions.
Robert Roberson in a phone interview (Photo: Gideon Rogers/Texas Public Radio)
By Heidi July 28, 2025
Robert Roberson is entitled to a new trial, as the Texas-planned State-sponsored murder of a man many believe to be innocent is the furthest thing from justice.
illustration of an open boksyl
By Heidi July 26, 2025
"From Brilliant Mind to Broken Prison System: My Journey Through Incarceration, Re-entry, and Redemption" is written by formerly incarcerated writer Anthony McCarary
The former Dozier School for Boys campus in Marianna, FL (Alicia Vera/The Marshall Project)
By Heidi July 25, 2025
An investigative report from The Marshall Project found at least 50 boys who stayed at two different abusive reform schools in Florida ended up on death row.
Show More