Laureen Rugen won’t go back to jail for violating probation.
Rugen, 53, who was found guilty of manslaughter in the stabbing death of her husband, Christian, in 2008, was charged in April 2011 with violating probation by drinking alcohol.
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After her arrest, she was sent to a treatment center, where therapy helped her deal with the aftermath of years of abuse that she said led her to stab her husband.
On Friday, Rugen appeared in court for a probation hearing, She could have been sent back to jail to serve the eight years of her sentence for manslaughter that had been suspended.
Instead, she was credited for 120 days that she served after her arrest more than a year ago and was released, said her lawyer, J.P. DeGrinney. The probation will continue for another five years or so, DeGrinney said.
“It’s a fantastic way to handle it and she has made tremendous progress since her incarceration on this issue,” he said. “That’s something that was recognized by all concerned. She’s learning coping skills and all kinds of things in treatment, and hopefully that will continue.”
The prosecutor, Lisa Marchese, said she agreed with the decision to allow Rugen to go free, “given the extensive counseling she has completed.”
Rugen says her husband abused her for more than 25 years before she killed him in April 2008, in their home in Portland.
Rugen said her husband had threatened to kill her that night and she felt that killing him was her only chance for survival.
Rugen said she struggled with depression, flashbacks and alcohol abuse after she was sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter. The judge suspended all of the sentence except for the time she had served awaiting trial.
After her second arrest for violating probation by drinking alcohol, Rugen got trauma therapy at Crossroads Back Cove. Rugen, who now lives in Naples with her boyfriend, said that helped by focusing on the after-effects of the abuse rather than substance abuse.
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