Danville, Indiana

From the Indianapolis Star of April 30, 2005

Jury acquits woman of attempted murder

A Hendricks County jury has acquitted a woman accused of attempting to murder her estranged girlfriend.

After a two-day trial and three hours' deliberation, jurors Thursday night found Cheryl Mize, 47, not guilty of attempted murder. However, the jury found Mize guilty of invasion of privacy and battery, both misdemeanors.

Hendricks Superior Court Judge David Coleman has set sentencing for 2:30 p.m. May 24.

According to court documents, Mize was arrested and jailed without bond shortly after violating a Marion County-issued restraining order prohibiting her from approaching Marie Dean.

Dean and her then-girlfriend, Janet Lee, noticed a 2004 white Chevy Malibu parked near their driveway in the 10000 block of East Eagle Eye Way on Feb. 19. The documents say Mize jumped out of the car, got into a scuffle with Lee, then lunged at Dean with what was described as a pair of hedge clippers.

Dean shot Mize three times. She told investigators Mize yelled, "I'm going to kill you."A bond hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to determine whether Mize can be released from jail.

"The prosecutor presented the case well," said Mize's Indianapolis-based attorney, David Seiter. "But ultimately the jurors found that there was reasonable doubt that my client had the intent to kill even though she had been violating the protective order."