CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga County jury on Monday began deliberating the fate of a Cleveland woman who says she shot and killed a man in self-defense.

Manija Downey, 30, faces aggravated murder and felonious assault charges in the April 29, 2023, death of Cynquan Leggett. If convicted, Downey faces life in prison.

The trial, which began Sept. 4 before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Mollie Ann Murphy, included testimony from Downey, police detectives, forensic experts and psychologists.

Downey and Leggett were casual sexual partners, according to testimony.

Central to Downey’s defense strategy was her argument that Leggett attacked her before she shot him once in the head. According to her version of the incident, which was recounted in court by the defense’s forensic psychologi

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