Nation IN BRIEF : MARYLAND : Women Who Killed Abusers to Be Freed

Gov. William Donald Schaefer commuted the prison sentences of eight women who killed abusive men. He said in Annapolis that he was convinced the women acted in self-defense. They could be freed as early as today. The women are serving sentences ranging from three years to life on convictions ranging from voluntary manslaughter to first-degree murder. Last month, Schaefer visited several inmates sent to the women’s prison in Jessup for killing husbands or companions who repeatedly abused them. The decision to commute the sentences was hailed by U.S. Rep. Constance A. Morella (R-Md.), who said the move will give hope to battered women across the state.