SLO woman who fatally shot husband sentenced to jail, community supervision
A San Luis Obispo woman who fatally shot her husband was sentenced for involuntary manslaughter Friday.
According to a news release from the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office, Skylar Marie Marshall was sentenced to seven years that will be “split” into two parts — two years in San Luis Obispo County Jail, followed by five years of community supervision — for the death of her husband, Alexander Hagist.
Marshall fatally shot Hagist on July 16, 2020, at the couple’s Chorro Street home in San Luis Obispo, the release said.
“At the preliminary hearing held on April 29, 2021, evidence was presented that Marshall pointed a loaded semi-automatic handgun at the forehead of Mr. Hagist and pulled the trigger, killing him,” the release stated. “Marshall told San Luis Obispo police officers she thought the gun was unloaded but was not ‘100 percent’ sure when she pulled the trigger because she did not check the gun or magazine.”
Further testimony at the hearing found Marshall had experience in the handling, loading and shooting of the gun that killed Hagist, and had received previous warnings from a roommate and Hagist not to the point the gun at others, the release said
At the time, the District Attorney charged Marshall with murder, but a judge dismissed the murder charge.
On Dec. 28, 2022, Marshall entered a plea of no contest to the remaining manslaughter charge, the release said. The maximum possible sentence for the charge was 14 years.
According to the release, Deputy District Attorney Crystal Seiler argued Marshall should serve her entire seven-year sentence in custody, or in the event of a split sentence, that Marshall serve five years in custody followed by two years of mandatory supervision.
The San Luis Obispo County Probation Department recommended Marshall serve all seven years in custody.
During the sentencing hearing, members of Hagist’s family provided statements to the court that described Hagist as a loved and loving son, brother and father, calling him “an amazing father with the heart of a lion, infectious positive upbeat personality, and a beacon of light.”
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Alex for their loss in this senseless and completely avoidable tragedy,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “This case illustrates the devastating effects of irresponsible gun use. It is very simple, if you accept the responsibility of handling a firearm, you assume the legal and moral obligation to exercise the highest degree of care in its use.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2023 at 6:27 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story identified Marshall as a Paso Robles resident. She was living in San Luis Obispo at the time of the shooting.
