Hansen to plead self defense

Thomas Lee Hansen plans to rely on a self-defense justification in connection to the death of Sharon Key Gerot, a woman he is charged with murdering in 2011. Hansen?s attorney John Robertson filed a motion in August in which he wrote that Hansen intends to rely on the defense of justification, which can include defense of self, of others, of property and against forcible felony.

Hansen?s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 8. It was delayed four times from its original start date of Jan. 24 of this year.

Hansen, 71, had been living with Gerot, 54, in a residential development one mile south of Riverside at the time of her death on May 1, 2011. The two applied for a marriage license on April 29 of that year, two days before Gerot?s death.

According to the affidavit of Washington County Investigator Chad Ellis, Hansen made statements to law enforcement indicating he had shot Gerot and that he had been arguing with Gerot ?on and off? that day. Ellis wrote in his affidavit that Hansen shot Gerot while she was riding a lawn mower in an open field behind the residence.

Iowa Code Chapter 704.3 states that a person is justified in the use of reasonable force when the person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to defend oneself or another from any imminent use of unlawful force.

?Reasonable force is that force and no more which a reasonable person, in like circumstances, would judge to be necessary to prevent an injury or loss and can include deadly force if it is reasonable to believe that such force is necessary to avoid injury or risk to one's life or safety or the life or safety of another, or it is reasonable to believe that such force is necessary to resist a like force or threat,? the code states.

The code states that ?deadly force? can include force used for the purpose of causing serious injury or force which the actor knows or reasonably should know will create a strong probability that serious injury will result.

Over the past week, the defense has taken depositions from             32 persons, including Iowa State troopers, deputies, police officers, neighbors to the residence and the county medical examiner.

The defense has compiled a list of 26 witnesses it intends to call in the trial.

The witnesses are Harry Brooks of Coralville, Susan Faith of West Branch, Thomas Hansen Jr. of Iowa City, Michael Hansen of Iowa City, Patrick Hansen of Hills, Timothy Hansen of Tiffin, Sandra Hansen of Iowa City, Rich Adams of Davenport, Richard Simon of Riverside, Barbara Simon of Riverside, Larry Simon of Riverside, Gary Kinsinger of Iowa City, Steve Flake of Lone Tree, George Murphy of Hills, Karen Deppe of Iowa City, Pat Harney of Iowa City, Dave Smith of Lone Tree, Steve Emerson of Coralville, Marge Sweeting of Riverside, Mary Malmberg of Riverside, William Holleran of Riverside, Betty Holleran of Riverside, Butch Slaughter of Coralville, Susan Slaughter of Coralville, J. Patrick White of Iowa City and Mike Scheetz, whose address was not listed in court records.