Wife on Trial in Killing of Mate Collapses

Frances Caccavale, a San Gabriel woman on trial in Pasadena Superior Court on charges of stabbing her husband to death last year, collapsed in the courthouse lobby Friday, a few minutes after the prosecution wrapped up its closing arguments.

She was taken by paramedics to Huntington Memorial Hospital, where she was reported in stable condition, her attorney, Barbara E. Roberts, said. It was not immediately determined what had caused her collapse.

Caccavale, 70, has pleaded innocent, contending that she killed Frank Caccavale in self-defense. Her defense is based, in part, on assertions that she was the victim of “battered-wife syndrome.” This defense is based on the evolving legal concept that years of physical and emotional abuse can sometimes justify the killing of a spouse.

The prosecution contends that, although the Caccavales had an often stormy relationship, Mrs. Caccavale was not the victim of the battered-wife syndrome.