The defense maintains the shooting happened at Rickman's DeKalb County home on Clifton Road because she was raped, according to Channel 2 Action News. Another option raised in court is that Rickman was enraged that Carter wouldn’t drop a battery charge against her.

Authorities acknowledged the volatile relationship between Rickman and Carter — both had been charged with attacking the other. But the prosecution intends to show the jury that Rickman turned on a man who loved her deeply, Channel 2 reported.