Keshia Golden fatally stabbed Calvin Sidney in the leg in October 2022
Credit: FOX 32 Chicago/YouTube; Provided by the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender
NEED TO KNOW
- Keshia Golden pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last week in what her attorneys called “not a just outcome”
- Golden had allegedly endured abuse by Calvin Sidney, which resulted in a prior protection order and numerous police calls
- Golden said she accepted the plea so she could raise her daughter
An Illinois woman has learned her fate more than two years after killing the father of her then-unborn child in what her attorneys and supporters claim was self-defense.
Keshia Golden, 37, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal stabbing of Calvin Sidney in October 2022, the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE.
The investigation began on Oct. 22, 2022, after Sidney allegedly attacked Golden, who was eight months pregnant at the time, following the couple’s baby shower in their Chicago home, per the statement.
Sidney allegedly slammed Golden’s head on the counter, according to Matthew Hendrickson of the public defender’s office. Golden then stabbed Sidney in the leg a single time with a knife in self-defense, Hendrickson said.
Sidney died after being taken to the hospital.
“Keshia acted in self-defense, as anyone would, so she could flee the apartment they shared to safety. She returned when she saw police lights outside,” a public defender’s office press release states.
“Despite the longstanding abuse she endured, Keshia was devastated that her partner and the father of her child had died,” the release continues.
In the months prior to the killing, Golden had a protection order against Sidney, and there had been dozens of calls to police in the past about his alleged abuse, Hendrickson told PEOPLE.
“Keshia’s case raises questions about who in our society is allowed to defend their life,” per the release. “Black women are far more likely to face serious charges when they use force to defend themselves from their abusers.”
In a GoFundMe set up to assist her with finding a stable footing, organizers said her child has undergone invasive spinal surgeries and rehabilitation.
Credit: Becca Waterloo
Golden, who was out on bond awaiting a trial that had been set to begin last week, has been sentenced to two years of probation and community service, according to the public defender’s office.
She took the plea deal for the sake of her daughter, per the statement, so she can “ensure that she will be able to raise her daughter and see her grow up.”
“This is a rational decision, but it is not a just outcome,” it continued.
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At a press conference held outside the court after the plea acceptance and streamed online by FOX 32 Chicago, Golden choked up as she said she felt she had let Sidney’s family down and apologized for what happened.
“I tried to leave many times, but he found me,” she told reporters about why it had been hard for her to move on from the allegedly abusive relationship.
She then called out to domestic violence survivors to leave, saying: “I don’t know want anyone going through this — woman or man.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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