Caseyville, IL: Self-defense or a case of murder? Caseyville woman charged with killing husband

A 24-year-old Caseyville woman is facing charges of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of her husband.
St. Clair County prosecutors on Saturday filed the charge against Nicole S. Brown, 24, of the 8700 block of Botanical Avenue.
Caseyville Police initially received a 911 call about a disturbance at the couple's residence about 7:15 a.m. Friday.

At the home, police found 28-year-old Montez J. Brown, who had been shot in the lower abdomen. The man was taken to Memorial Hospital in Belleville, where he was pronounced dead.
Nicole Brown was taken into custody Friday at the scene and was being held Saturday evening at the St. Clair County Jail.
According to police, Nicole Brown said it was a self-defense situation after long-term physical abuse. Police had been called to the house twice in recent years on domestic disturbances, but Nicole Brown had not filed charges against Montez Brown, police said.
Detective Jeff Wilkinson said they do believe there was domestic violence in the home, but Nicole Brown showed no signs of injuries after the shooting.
"A lot of her statements don't corroborate (self-defense)," said Det. Jeff Wilkinson, adding that Nicole Brown had given "conflicting statements" about what happened at the house.
"There's no evidence that it was premeditated or anything like that," Wilkinson said. "The false statements... and the time frame didn't add up."
Police said Montez Brown was shot with a .380-caliber Kel Tec handgun. Nicole Brown was treated for what police described as "self-inflicted knife wounds to her left forearm."
Montez Brown was on parole, having recently been released from the Illinois Department of Corrections after serving time on a weapons charge, police said. The couple was in the process of divorcing, Wilkinson said.
Police said the couple's 6-year-old daughter was at the home at the time, but was upstairs and didn't witness the shooting. The girl is now with relatives.
St. Clair County Associate Judge Richard Aguirre set bail at $1 million.