An Ohio woman shot two deputy sheriffs who attempted to serve her with a probate order. Now, she will remain behind bars for four decades.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young handed Monica G. Justice a 40-year term in prison for the shooting of two Franklin County Deputies, Marcus Penwell, and Gary Bourquin.
After almost two hours of deliberation, Justice was found guilty and convicted by a jury of four counts of felonious assault and two counts of having a weapon as a convicted felon.
On July 21, 2020, deputies attempted to serve Justice with an order by the probate court for her mental evaluation and eviction after her landlord failed to evict her from the residence on Beulah Road. Upon their arrival, the defendant fired gunshots toward the officers hitting Penwell and Bourquin. Soon, a six-hour standoff ensued until a SWAT team took Justice into custody, according to FOX 28.
During the two-week trial, Justice told the court she did not know the men who approached her home were deputies but thought she was defending herself.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Justice was previously convicted of an assault on a Columbia police officer who tried to arrest her for a traffic ticket. At the time, Justice claimed to be a sovereign citizen who did not recognize the court’s authority and jurisdiction over her case. In addition, she told the court her name was Lotus Justice.
Justice was remanded to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections to serve her sentence. Upon further behavioral issues in prison, the department can extend her sentence for another five years.
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