18-Month Sentence for Wife-Killer Sparks Outcry

A man who fatally shot his wife hours after catching her in bed with her lover drew 18 months in prison from a judge who said he was reluctant to give any jail time at all. Women’s activists said Tuesday that the case amounts to giving spouses a license to kill.

“This case explodes the myth that there is justice for domestic violence victims in Maryland,” said Carol Alexander of the House of Ruth, a shelter for battered women. “He’s sanctioned and approved an execution.”

Circuit Judge Robert E. Cahill, who could have sentenced 36-year-old Kenneth Peacock to 25 years in prison, said Monday: “I seriously wonder how many men married five, four years would have the strength to walk away without inflicting some corporal punishment. I am forced to impose a sentence . . . only because I think I must do it to make the system honest.”

Sandra Peacock, 31, was shot in the head with a hunting rifle Feb. 9 after her husband came home unexpectedly during a snowstorm. Finding her in bed with another man, he went downstairs, had a few drinks, got into an argument with her and killed her. Her lover was not hurt.

The judge’s comments generated sharp criticism from women’s groups and advocates for battered spouses.

“This is 1994, and we have a judge who excuses a man who gets so jealous that he murders his wife,” said Judith A. Wolfer, a lawyer active in domestic violence issues. “If this judge’s message gets out that it’s OK, that’s not a society I want to live in.”

Kim Gandy, executive vice president of the National Organization for Women, said: “It’s outrageous, and at the same time, it’s not an uncommon treatment of women who are victims of male violence.

“The sentencing reflects the judge’s attitude toward this woman, that she was property, that he had the right to be judge, jury and executioner.”

The judge did not immediately return calls for comment.

Susan Carol Elgin, a member of the Maryland Bar Assn.’s committee on gender equality, said she wasn’t aware of any past complaints against Cahill. The committee will discuss Cahill’s sentence and comments today, she said.