BigGuns, hope things are going well for you guy!?
Oh me, here we go again...
My father was a big "rough, tough", ex-marine...and I don't mean this sarcastically as he weighed over 200 all-natural, raw-boned, lbs. (a pretty big guy in the 1940's and 1950's, and I promise you someone you wouldn't want to "run into in a dark alley some night"!).
He temporarily instructed hand-to-hand combat in the Corps, and served in WWII in the invasions of both Guam and Iwo Jima. When sober, he "swore" over and over again that only a "cowardly man" would ever beat/batter a woman. Yet, he literally beat my mother on a regular basis when he was drunk...as he was "mean as hell" then!
The neighbors called the police on him several times and my mother (and myself) were totally intimidated and "scared to death" of him! She truly believed that she could not "escape him" as he threatened her life if she ever tried to leave him. During some of these beatings, I tried to intervene and he beat the shiit out of me, too!
Both my mother and myself were convinced that the ONLY way to escape him was to kill him! Fortunately, he died of natural causes, due to his "hard living", before either of us could carry out his premeditated homicide. And, for your info., protection of the law, in the 1950's, from male spousal abuse/beatings was an absolute JOKE!!!
BigGuns, like I said above somewhere/elsewhere, ONLY unless you have lived day-to-day in an emotionally charged/explosive environment like that can you have ANY realistic concept of what it was/is like!! Otherwise, it is just like Nancy Reagan, off in her ivory tower TOTALLY out of touch with reality, telling hooked hard drug users "to just say no/quit"!
What I am saying is that both Sally and Francine should have been tried by a jury of mainly women, who themselves had to experience spousal physical beatings, and maybe a few BBers as well (who don't think that all BBers are drug-crazed, 'roid rage, freaks)!
Of course, IMO, Sally is not totally innocent...but neither is she totally guilty...of the crime, considering the very extenuating circumstances!