Keshia Golden Pleads Guilty In 2022 Death Of Partner, Avoids Jail
‘I Did The Right Thing’ — Keshia Golden Avoids Murder Trial After Accepting Plea Deal In Fatal Stabbing Of Boyfriend She Said Abused Her - Page 2
Keshia Golden will avoid jail time after pleading guilty in connection to the 2022 death of her partner Calvin Sydney, who she stabbed in self-defense after an alleged domestic violence dispute.
Source: Photo courtesy of Fox 32 Chicago / Keshia Golden.
Keshia Golden, a Chicago woman who was charged with murder in connection with the 2022 death of her partner, Calvin Sydney, accepted a plea deal on Aug. 24 that allowed her to avoid a bench trial and return home to her daughter, according to reports from ABC 7 Chicago and Fox 32 Chicago. The agreement, however, leaves Golden with a felony conviction that her supporters say could have lasting consequences. Attorneys for the Chicago mother say she was acting in self-defense when she fatally stabbed Sydney in 2022 following a domestic violence dispute.
Golden pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 24 months of probation. Outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, domestic violence advocates and supporters gathered to stand behind Golden, who had originally faced a first-degree murder charge.
Keshia Golden says she accepted the plea deal to avoid trial and protect her daughter.
Golden said she accepted the plea because she did not want her young daughter to endure the emotional toll of a trial.
“I feel like I did the right thing for my child instead of putting this all on the trial and putting it all on social media, and I do not want to hurt my child no more. All she have is me,” Golden told ABC 7 Chicago, Fox 32 Chicago, and several other reporters outside the courtroom Monday.
“My child will not have a father, and I’m the only person that’s going to take care of her. So, I feel like I did the right thing for my child.”
Golden’s mother, Tarsha Ellis, told the outlet that she was grateful her daughter would be able to remain with the family and care for her child.
“It’s a blessing to have my daughter here to raise her daughter. You know, and I’m grateful for that. So she took the plea. She’s not guilty, but she took it to stay home with her daughter, and she got to take care of me,” Ellis said.
Read more about the Keshia Golden trial after the flip.
Golden was charged with first-degree murder in 2022 after stabbing Sydney once in the leg while she was eight months pregnant during a violent argument. Calvin Sydney later died from the injury. Golden has maintained that she acted in self-defense to protect herself and her unborn child at the time.
Her attorneys presented an account of the Oct. 23, 2022, incident that differs from the prosecution’s version. They said the confrontation occurred after Golden’s baby shower and alleged that Sydney repeatedly slammed Golden’s head against a kitchen counter.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 32 Chicago, prosecutors said Golden and Sydney were arguing during the early morning hours of Oct. 23 when Sydney grabbed Golden and allegedly attacked her. Family members then separated the couple, and Sydney went into a bedroom to lie down after he was stabbed, before later succumbing to the injury at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Prosecutors shared a different account, alleging that Golden followed Sydney into the bedroom with a knife and stabbed him in the leg, striking his femoral artery, before he later died.
Golden’s attorneys have disputed that account, saying Sydney had repeatedly attacked Golden before she grabbed the knife and acted in self-defense.
Calvin Sydney had a history of abuse against Keshia Golden, attorneys and advocates say.
Her supporters and attorneys also pointed to what they describe as a long history of abuse. According to police, more than 50 domestic violence calls were made from the couple’s home. Golden also obtained an order of protection against Sydney in July 2022 after alleging that he punched her in the face.
Julie Koehler, an associate director and leader of the homicide task force at the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender in Chicago, is among the attorneys representing Golden. Koehler said she believes the decision to prosecute Golden was unjust.
“There is no justice in this case and that’s why she was charged,” Koehler, visibly upset by the verdict, told reporters on Monday. “They walked into that apartment and they put her in handcuffs in less than 30 seconds.”
Koehler also described other alleged incidents of abuse. She said that in September 2022, when Golden was six months pregnant, Sydney allegedly pushed her down a flight of stairs.
Although Golden is relieved to be returning home to her daughter, she said she is concerned about the long-term impact of the felony conviction.
“I might not have no house for me and my daughter,” she told reporters Monday.
Her attorneys also said they plan to call on the governor to issue a pardon in the case.
