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Table of Contents
Angelina Napolitano was a Canadian woman and convicted criminal who in 1911 murdered her abusive husband. Her story sparked a global political debate about domestic violence as well as the death penalty.
See the fact file below for more information on the Angelina Napolitano or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Angelina Napolitano worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
BACKGROUND
- At her trial Angelina was the first woman to use the “battered women’s syndrome” (BWS) defense.
- Angelina was initially found guilty and sentenced to death however a public outcry helped reduce her death sentence to a term of life imprisonment.
EARLY LIFE
- It was confirmed that Angelina was born in Naples, Italy around 1883.
- In 1898 Angelina married a man named Pietro Napolitano and together the couple migrated to New York City in the United States.
- Angelina and her husband lived in New York City for seven years before deciding to move to Canada in 1909.
- Initially Angelina and her husband moved to Thessalon, Ontario. Shortly after they decided to move to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
- At the time there was a large Italian immigrant population residing in Sault Ste. Marie. This made it easier for Angelina to meet people as she only spoke Italian at the time.
- While living in Sault Ste. Marie, Angelina and her husband had four children.
DOMESTIC ABUSE
- Angelina suffered continuous physical and verbal abuse from her husband Pietro. He would routinely threaten that he was going to kill her.
- In November 1910, Pietro attacked Angelina with a pocket knife. In this attack Pietro stabbed Angelina nine times.
- Angelina was badly wounded from this attack. She had stab wounds on several areas of her body including her chest, neck, face and arms.
- As a result of this attack Pietro was charged with assault. He received a suspended sentence for which he was quickly released.
- Pietro continued to abuse Angelina after his release.
THE CRIME
- Throughout 1910-1911 the Napolitano family began having financial trouble.
- Pietro began to pressure Angelina to prostitute herself for money.
- On April 6, 1911 Pietro told Angelina that he was going to sleep. He said that if she did not prostitute herself and have money when he woke up that he would beat and kill her.
- At the time Angelina was six months pregnant and feared what would happen to herself and their unborn child.
- When Pietro went to sleep that evening Angelina grabbed an axe and proceeded to hit him in the back of his head and neck four times.
- Angelina immediately went with her children to a neighbor’s home and told them what had happened. The police arrived and charged Angelina with the murder of her husband.
THE TRIAL
- On May 8, 1911 Angelina’s murder trial began in Sault Ste. Marie.
- At her trial Angelina’s lawyer entered a “battered women’s syndrome” (BWS) defense.
- This was the first time in history that a BWS defense had been entered into a court.
- Battered Women’s Syndrome (BWS) is defined as a pattern of symptoms which are displayed by an individual whose romantic partner has repeatedly inflicted abuse.
- The (BWS) defense is considered a “mitigating circumstance” in a court of law. This means when making a final decision this factor is considered to lessen the offense or seriousness of the crime.
- In contrast an aggravating factor is one which will increase the seriousness of a crime.
- Angelina’s BWS defense was the first time a court acknowledged the effects of domestic violence.
- The trial only lasted a total of three hours.
- Although the jury found Angelina guilty of the act of murder they recommended that she be let go.
- Instead Judge Byron decided to sentence Angelina to death by hanging.
- As Angelina was still pregnant at the time her death sentence was scheduled one month after the expected due date on August 9, 1911.
PUBLIC RESPONSE
- The public was outraged with Judge Byron Moffatt Britton’s decision to sentence Angelina to a death sentence.
- Communities across the United States and Europe heard about the court decision and were equally as upset with the outcome.
- Many people and papers argued that the death sentence decision had been influenced by racist ideologies as Angelina was an immigrant from Italy who barely spoke English.
- In response the public began to petition to have Angelina’s death sentence be commuted (reduced) to a lesser sentence of life imprisonment.
- On July 14, 1911 Angelina’s death sentence was commuted to a life sentence. She served a total of eleven years before being released on parole.
LATER LIFE
- On December 30, 1922 Angelina was released from Kingston Penitentiary.
- Angelina’s baby whom she was pregnant with at the time of her trial and conviction was born, however it only lived for a few weeks.
- Angelina’s older children were all sent into foster care. It was not known if she was ever able to regain contact with them.
- On December 30, 1922 Angelina passed away at the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Frontenac County, Ontario.
Angelina Napolitano Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Angelina Napolitano across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Angelina Napolitano worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Angelina Napolitano who was a Canadian woman and convicted criminal who in 1911 murdered her abusive husband. Her story sparked a global political debate about domestic violence as well as the death penalty.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Angelina Napolitano Facts
- See, Think, Wonder
- Convicted Wordsearch
- Opinion Piece
- Word Scramble
- Napolitano News
- Criminal Crossword
- Fill in the Blank
- Sequence of Events
- Interview with a Friend
- Turn to Truth
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Use With Any Curriculum
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