A Walter-area woman has been convicted of attempted murder following a jury trial last week in connection with the shooting of her estranged husband, as well as the pistol whipping of a woman, last year. 

Lee Ann Matanane, 55, was found guilty of a single count of attempted murder, as well as a single count of first degree burglary, in the wake of a March 2018 incident that left Benito Matanane and Clara Mitchell injured at Mr. Matanane’s Berlin-area residence.

Court records show that prosecutors accused Matanane of dressing in black to conceal her appearance, parking down the road from Mr. Matanane’s home, breaking into the residence, shooting him, and hitting Mitchell in the head with a firearm. 

Matanane was arrested by Cullman County Sheriff’s deputies and charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of first degree burglary, and one count of second degree assault.

Mr. Matanane was shot in the chest, while the female victim was struck in the head with the firearm. Both victims fought off Ms. Matanane and disarmed her before deputies arrived at the home and placed her under arrest.

The couple had a history of domestic conflict, according to legal records. Ms. Matanane filed for divorce in April of 2017, citing a “complete incompatibility of temperament,” and a restraining order was set against both parties later that year. Days before the shooting, however, a mediator told the court that both parties had reached a settlement agreement.

A 2014 charge of third degree domestic violence/harassment against Mr. Matanane had been dismissed. He also was charged with reckless endangerment in 2018.

A jury found Ms. Matanane guilty on the attempted murder charge, as well as the first degree burglary charge, in the court of Circuit Judge Greg Nicholas. She currently is awaiting sentencing.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 145.