An Alabama woman faces the death penalty after shooting another pregnant woman in the head during a fight over a man.
Aaniyah Nowden, 24, was carrying a child when she shot and killed Justina Wallace, 36, who was also pregnant, in front of the victim's children in Birmingham in July 2023.
Wallace was taken to the hospital after the shooting where she was pronounced dead the next day.
A jury is now deliberating whether or not Nowden, who was eight months pregnant at the time, is guilty of murder. She faces a potential death sentence if convicted.
She was charged with three counts of capital murder of two or more people, capital murder of a child, and capital murder in the presence of children.
Nowden, who gave birth in jail, was caught on video shooting Wallace, who was holding her daughter Sky at the time and her other children were feet away from her, according to AL.com.
Prosecutors argued that Wallace had gotten into an argument with Nowden over a man who has children with both women. The man was present during the shooting.
Nowden has admitted shooting Wallace but claims she did it in self-defense as she feared for her life.
Aaniyah Nowden (pictured), 24, faces the death penalty for fatally shooting Justina Wallace
Wallace was shot in the head while holding her daughter Sky
The defense said Wallace was 'aggressive' and 'belligerent' when she arrived, and was on a 'lot of things they don't want you to know.'
However, prosecutors said the mother-to-be wasn't armed and therefore wasn't a threat to Nowden.
'This defendant shot and killed a pregnant woman who was carrying nothing but her baby Sky in her arms,' Deputy District Attorney Jason Wilson said, according to AL.com.
'Justina had no weapon, no gun, she wasn’t attacking anybody.'
Fellow Deputy District Attorney Amanda Wineman said: 'The idea that this woman was holding a child was somehow a threat to her because she’s yelling at a deadbeat piece of trash who is not doing anything for her daughter.
'The law does not say you get to shoot people who are yelling at you that you don’t like.'
Nowden's defense, however, said prosecutors only painted a partial image and brought biased witnesses to testify, including two of Wallace's sons, who were eight and nine at the time of the shooting.
Louvenia Borom, one of the defense attorneys, then reminded the jury that there has to be no reasonable doubt to convict Nowden and that it wasn't a 'multiple choice' test.
Wallace (pictured) and Nowden, and a man who has children with both women, got into an argument before the shooting
Wallace was not armed at the time of the murder. ''The law does not say you get to shoot people who are yelling at you that you don’t like,' prosecutors said
Nowden's earlier trial ended in a mistrial as there weren't enough jurors left after striking people from the pool.
Shamari Cooke, Wallace's sister, said the woman was a devout mother to her five children.
'She was all about doing better for her kids, working every day trying to make a meaningful life between her and her kids,' Cooke told WVTM in 2023.
'She was doing good, and I just hate that she won't be here to see her kids grow up.'
The family celebrated Sky's birthday just days after Wallace's death.