Woman faces 2 to 8 years for reckless homicide
By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
A New Albany woman pleaded guilty Friday to reckless homicide in the 2001 shooting death of her husband.
Teresa Mason, 42, was indicted by a grand jury in May of murder and voluntary manslaughter.
Mason reportedly shot her estranged husband, 41-year-old Walter Mason, once in his head at their home at 1301 Chartres St. The victim was found in the bathroom and transported to University Hospital in Louisville. He was pronounced dead the next morning.
Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson has described the two as having a “volatile” relationship prior to the shooting.
Mason was charged with murder in 2004, but the case was dismissed without prejudice because a 911 tape of Teresa Mason telling dispatchers she shot her husband was misplaced. The Secret Service Agency and the manufacturer of the recording equipment eventually recovered the audio, and the case was sent before a grand jury.
With a murder conviction, Mason could have faced 45 to 65 years in prison, or life without parole. The reckless homicide charge is a class C felony with a sentencing range of two to eight years in prison.
Mason was scheduled to begin trial next week.
A sentencing date has been set for Nov. 30. Superior Court No. 3 Judge Maria Granger will decide at that time whether to accept the plea agreement and the sentence.
Court records indicate the plea was entered without a plea agreement, which would mean the judge will have discretion at sentencing.
The Tribune learned of the plea after business hours on Friday. The prosecutor’s office and Teresa Mason’s attorney, J. Patrick Biggs, were not available for comment.
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