A Florida woman has been convicted of manslaughter with a firearm for the fatal shooting of her former partner and father of her child, 29-year-old K. Woulard. After a weeklong trial and six hours of deliberation, the jury found 31-year-old J. Braugh guilty. She faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced in November.
The confrontation began when Woulard vandalized Braugh’s vehicle, tearing off both side-view mirrors — an act he had allegedly done multiple times before. After he left her home, Braugh followed him in her car and fired a single shot into his chest, killing him.
Braugh later told investigators and testified in court that she acted in self-defense. She claimed Woulard threw a bicycle at her windshield as she drove past, causing her to crash into a pole. According to her account, Woulard then ran toward her car holding a gun, leading to a struggle during which the firearm discharged. She admitted to tossing the gun into nearby bushes afterward.
Authorities, however, rejected her self-defense claim, stating that Braugh intentionally pursued her former partner out of anger over the repeated vandalism.
Prosecutors argued that Braugh sent threatening messages to Woulard before driving around to find him. Once she located him, they said, she shot him and fled. Their case was supported by cellphone data, surveillance footage, and witness testimony placing Braugh at the scene.
Despite her defense team’s argument that she acted to protect herself, the jury ultimately convicted her of manslaughter.
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