Summary Growing up on the streets of Memphis, Monique Johnson possessed a no- nonsense toughness that made her a perfect fit for her job as a corrections officer. But her job performance wasn't the only thing that earned the 40-year-old single mom the admiration of her peers. In 2005, she started dating Memphis police officer Tony Hayes. Hayes, estranged from his third wife, was known as a ladies' man, a reputation that led to a rocky relationship with Monique. In May of 2006, Hayes had even filed a police report accusing Monique, supposedly angry he'd gotten a phone call from another woman, of trashing his apartment and scratching obscenities on the hood of his car. But when Hayes disappeared that September, Monique seemed genuinely concerned, afraid her policeman lover had run afoul of some drug-dealer. Three days after Hayes disappeared, it was Monique who handed police a breakthrough - she led them to Tony's body, stuffed in the trunk of his white Lexus in a Memphis parking lot. Monique admitted she'd shot him, but claimed she'd been defending herself from an abusive boyfriend. But, as investigators looked deeper into Monique's background, they uncovered a history of troubled relationships. Charged with first-degree murder, at trial she claimed that, on the day of the murder, she'd confronted Tony about another woman. They'd started arguing and he attacked her, backing her into a closet. She'd grabbed a gun kept there and shot him. Prosecutors argued that it wasn't self-defense, because, of 6 shots she fired, four hit him in the back. The jury was unconvinced, however, setting aside first-degree charges and finding Monique guilty of reckless homicide. After sentencing, with credit for time served awaiting trial, she walked away with only probation, but in June 2008, Monique was arrested for violating the terms of her probation. She will be released in May 2009.

• Crime
• Crime Documentary
• Documentary