Jury to weigh motive in murder of husband

Thursday, May 7, 1998 | 11:42 a.m.

A question for the District Court jury at the murder trial of a Las Vegas woman is whether she killed her husband in cold retaliation after he left her or whether drugs and alcohol sent her into an uncontrollable rage.

The question the jury won't have to decide is whether 33-year-old Linda Carbary was responsible for the death of Jeffrey Carbary on March 15, 1997. She shot him in front of a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper.

During opening statements Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent told how shortly before the slaying the woman had shot at her husband through the windshield of his car after he rejected her attempts at reconciliation.

The bullet didn't penetrate the glass and Jeffrey Carbary drove off with his wife in pursuit, Laurent told the jury in District Judge Lee Gates' courtroom.

The victim stopped next to the tropper on Interstate 15 near Cheyenne Avenue. Linda Carbary also stopped and confronted him despite the officer's presence. She fired a single bullet into his head, the prosecutor said.

Special Public Defender Michael Cherry conceded that the woman had fired the shot but explained that the couple had a stormy relationship and alleged that there had been incidents of abuse.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, but a conviction of first-degree murder could result in a life prison sentence with or without the possibility of parole after 40 years. The jury also will have the option of convicting the woman of second-degree murder or manslaughter or acquitting her.