Did A Murder Defendant Shoot Her Husband in Self-Defense?

By D.C. Witness Staff - March 8, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During opening arguments in a murder trial, the defense said their client shot her husband in self-defense after a violent argument.

Dianna Lalchan

Dianna Lalchan is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting her 36-year-old husband, Christopher Lalchan, in the Carrollsburg Condominiums located on the 1200 block of 4th Street, SW in 2013.

Christopher Lalchan

“She’d seen it before,” the defense said. “It was like he was the Hulk. He couldn’t control himself and he couldn’t stop himself.”

The defense told the jury March 7 that after enduring years of his abusive behavior, Dianna, 33, had no choice but to open fire on her husband. They said Dianna didn’t intend to kill him and that she immediately called 911.

The defense said when the couple argued Christopher would become agitated, break things and get physically abusive.

“He would apologize every time,” the defense said, explaining that Dianna never called the police because she didn’t want to jeopardize Christopher’s career goals. Apparently, Christopher wanted to be involved in law enforcement and politics.

The defense said the couple was planning to separate, however, the abuse got worse toward the end of their relationship. On one occasion, one of Dianna’s lawyers said, Christopher put his hands on Dianna’s neck, pushed her to the ground and strangled her until she was unconscious.

According to the defense, after that incident Christopher gave her one of his guns and told her to keep it in case he lost control again.

However, the prosecution offered a different perspective. The prosecution told the jury that Christopher was unarmed and face-down on the ground when Dianna shot him. They said forensic evidence showed that Dianna fired a warning shot, followed by another shot before she finally shot him in the back of the head.

The prosecution said there were no signs of a struggle and that police didn’t see any injuries or bruises on Dianna. During the investigation, Dianna told police that Christopher did not abuse or threaten her on the night she shot him. 

An officer who responded to the call testified and said they found guns, gun memorabilia, ammunition and a tactical vest in the home. The officer said he recalled asking Dianna if her husband was a police officer. She told the officer that he wanted to be.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 11.