Maple Grove Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter After Shooting Abusive Boyfriend
Guilty Plea Comes After Murder Conviction Was Overturned on Appeal
A Maple Grove woman has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter after fatally shooting her boyfriend, who prosecutors say was abusive, in March 2020.
Stephanie Clark, 35, was previously convicted of murder in the case, but that conviction was overturned when an appeals court found the jury had been given erroneous instructions related to self-defense law.
Clark has now admitted to fatally shooting Don’Juan Butler, who was 30 years old at the time of his death. She testified in court that he had punched her, held a gun to her head and threatened to break her ribs. She later shot him multiple times in her Maple Grove home.
Clark argued during trial that she feared Butler would kill her, recounting past abuse cases and raising concern that Butler would harm her 5-year-old son, who was present at her home.
“The facts of the case indicate that Ms. Clark suffered intimate partner violence at Mr. Butler’s hands,” read a press release from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. “This resolution acknowledges both her role in causing his death and the context in which it occurred. It will result in Ms. Clark being prohibited from possessing a firearm in the future.”
She’s expected to sentenced to between six and eight-and-a-half years in prison.
“This was an extraordinarily complicated case with intimate partner violence at its core.” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “It occurred in a terrible set of circumstances and Ms. Clark has taken accountability for her role. Today’s resolution reflects the recognition that while Ms. Clark’s actions exceeded what the law allows for self-defense, she had just been violently assaulted and threatened by Mr. Butler.”
Appeal After 25-Year Sentence
Clark was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2021.
According to court records, the jury asked the court to define “imminent” danger as it applies to the state’s self-defense laws.
The court told the jury it meant one’s life is in “immediate” danger.
Clark and her attorneys disagreed and filed a appeal in the case.
The Appeals Court sided with Clark and overturned her conviction.
“Given [Butler’s] violent actions against Clark, the jury could have found that Clark was in imminent danger of great bodily harm, even if such danger was not immediate,” wrote The Appeals Court. “By instructing the jury that ‘imminent’ means ‘immediate,’ the district court telegraphed to the jury that holding a loaded gun to a person’s head and threatening harm does not qualify as an imminent threat. We therefore conclude that the district court misstated the law by making a blunt instruction to the jury that ‘imminent’ means ‘immediate.'”
Rather than go back to trial, Clark pleaded guilty to manslaughter — a less serious charge than murder — and is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 5, 2026.
