“The House on Badger Lane” brings viewers to the story of Jason Harper’s death. He was killed in August of 2012. gunned down and killed by his spouse, Julie, who claimed it was meant to defend herself.
However, the defense managed to convince the jury to the contrary. It had its ups and downs, but, in the end, Julie was required to go through the trial again following the trial that ended in a deadlocking jury. Let’s find out what we can regarding Julie and where she’s in the present, shall we?
How are you? Julie Harper?
Julie Harper’s arrest over her husband’s death in August 2012 triggered a long-running story that was extensively reported by local media. On August 7, 2012, Julie killed her husband for over a decade dead in their bedroom. Julie and Jason Harper lived with their three children in Carlsbad, California. The authorities were informed they were told that Jason was the one who declared to murder her the previous day following an argument, and she was afraid for her life, which led to her shooting. When she was arrested on the following day, authorities did not find any visible marks on her body.
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Julie also asserted the husband had been abusive to her and was a victim of rape about 30 times over the course of the duration of their union. She later told the court, “My husband was a different person behind closed doors. It’s still a struggle to recover from what I was subjected to all through those many years.” Also, she claimed she wrote about the abuse in her diary, wherein, in some instances, sexual contact was an excuse for the sex of a rape. After killing Jason, Julie took off with her children instead of contacting the authorities. After being challenged in court about what she had done, she replied, “It was obvious he was dead.”
The mom at home appeared at her father’s office after leaving her children at her sister’s house. She was arrested after speaking with an attorney. In her trial at the end of 2014, she reaffirmed that she did not leave the room the day she was scared for her life because she was scared that Jason might catch her. Also, she wanted to keep children from hearing the arguments. She said, “I didn’t even intend to shoot him. I was just trying to scare him or get him to end it, not rape me, but not harm me, or even more.”
However, the jury was able to acquit her of murder in the first degree in her initial trial. They could not decide on the lesser charge of second-degree murder and manslaughter, but they were leaning toward Acquittal on the former. The second trial was delayed due to her pregnancy. It was reported that she claimed she was pregnant through in-vitro fertilization while in jail in the summer of 2014.
What is Julie Harper Now?
During Julie’s second trial in 2015, she remained with her version of the incidents and claimed that she was acting in self-defense. Her lawyer claimed that she had killed Jason during a heated discussion about their divorce. She also asserted that she dug up the gun to preserve the evidence. At the end of the day, she was found guilty of murder in the second degree. Julie stated she was stunned by the verdict. In January of 2016, she was sentenced to 40 years of life in prison.
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Julie spoke after her sentence, “I am not guilty of the crime that I’m facing. I am not guilty of any crime.” Julie also offered an apology to her family members. In the year 2018, the judge denied the appeal to reduce her sentence because of changes in state law. She was hoping that the sentence of 25 years she was given for using a firearm would be reduced in the case. According to the prison records, she is imprisoned at the California Institution for Women in Chino, Riverside County. Julie is eligible for parole in 2039.
