D.A.: Oakland woman killed ex in self-defense

(02-01) 17:02 PST OAKLAND --

A judge has dismissed a murder charge against an Oakland woman who stabbed her ex-boyfriend to death because an investigation confirmed that she did so in self-defense, authorities said Wednesday.

Geneva Dixon, who turns 21 on Thursday, used a knife Nov. 22 to kill Norris Lewis, 28, the father of her child, at her apartment on the 3500 block of Galindo Street in the Fruitvale neighborhood. Prosecutors charged her with murder, and she had been in custody since Lewis' death.

But police and district attorney's inspectors later found evidence supporting Dixon's contention that she had acted in self-defense, said District Attorney Nancy O'Malley.

Investigators said they believe Lewis went to Dixon's apartment after she told him she wanted to end their relationship because it "involved domestic violence," O'Malley said.

"During the encounter, Mr. Lewis strangled Ms. Dixon twice," O'Malley said. "Breaking free from his choking, Ms. Dixon got a steak knife from the kitchen and ordered Mr. Lewis to leave. He attacked her again and she stabbed him one time in the chest, in self-defense."

Senior Deputy District Attorney Kim Hunter moved Monday to dismiss the case, and Superior Court Judge Carrie Panetta agreed to do so on Tuesday.

In court Monday, Dixon's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jane Brown read a statement from her client in which she said she acted "not out of spite or hatred." Dixon also said of Lewis, "I've loved him since I was 14, and I still love him and his family unconditionally."

Brown credited investigators who "worked expeditiously to investigate the facts and reach the right outcome."