Summary German native Manuela Garcia had fallen in love with an American serviceman and moved to Colorado. But 15 years into her marriage, the mother of three wanted to return home. Instead, in July of 1996, Manuela landed in a Colorado police station, after hacking her husband to death with an axe. She told officers her husband had forced himself on her and she had grabbed the axe to protect herself. Investigators found flaws in Manuela's story, most notably evidence that her husband had been drugged and unable to fend off the deadly axe attack. Prosecutors say she planned the attack in an attempt to free herself from her husband and return to Germany. Defense attorneys, however, described her as a battered woman, driven to kill after more than a decade of abuse. The jury found Manuela guilty of second-degree murder, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. Facing a second trial, Manuela pled guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

• Crime
• Crime Documentary
• Documentary