Executive Summary
- Meghan Gouveia was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after two years served, plus five years of probation.
- The conviction stems from a December 2023 incident where Gouveia shot her husband and engaged in a standoff with Newtown police.
- Gouveia entered a plea under the Alford doctrine to second-degree assault and risk of injury to a child.
- Psychiatric testimony attributed the defendant’s actions to amphetamine intoxication and severe depression.
- The victim, Gouveia’s ex-husband, requested a harsher sentence, citing the life-threatening nature of the assault.
A Newtown, Connecticut, woman was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison, suspended after two years served, followed by five years of probation, for shooting her husband and engaging in an hours-long standoff with police on Christmas Eve in 2023. Meghan Gouveia, 35, appeared in state Superior Court in Danbury, where Judge Charles Stango handed down the sentence following her guilty plea under the Alford doctrine to charges of second-degree assault and two counts of risk of injury to a child.
According to court records, the incident began around 8 p.m. on December 24, 2023, at the couple’s residence on Boggs Hill Road. Newtown police officers responding to the scene discovered Gouveia’s husband on the front porch suffering from two gunshot wounds. Law enforcement officials stated that officers pulled the victim to safety before transporting him to Danbury Hospital, where an expended bullet was later extracted from his right knee. Following the shooting, Gouveia barricaded herself inside the home, initiating a standoff with police that concluded with her surrender around 1 a.m. on December 25, 2023.
During the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Gene Zingaro argued that his client’s actions were the result of a “psychotic break” rather than criminal intent. Dr. Oreste Arcuni, a psychiatrist who treated Gouveia, testified that she had developed severe clinical depression following the deaths of several family members in late 2023. Dr. Arcuni stated that Gouveia was simultaneously prescribed “very high doses of amphetamines” for ADHD, which he claimed led to amphetamine intoxication, paranoid delusions, and hallucinations. “In addition to the symptoms of very severe depression, she developed psychotic symptoms consistent with the syndrome of amphetamine intoxication,” Dr. Arcuni told the court.
The victim, Gouveia’s ex-husband who initiated divorce proceedings shortly after the shooting, submitted a statement read by victim advocate Kristine Kellas. He requested the court impose the maximum agreed-upon sentence of five years to serve, citing the severity of the trauma. “The sentence should reflect the seriousness of the harm that was done and the lifelong impact that it had on me and my family,” the statement read. He further noted that Gouveia had no understanding of how close he came to losing his life during the incident.
Addressing the court, Gouveia expressed remorse, stating, “I will spend the rest of my life proving the person on Christmas Eve 2023 is not me.” She entered her pleas under the Alford doctrine, a legal mechanism that allows a defendant to maintain innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution possesses sufficient evidence to secure a conviction at trial. Judge Stango acknowledged the complexity of the case, addressing supporters of both parties present in the courtroom before finalizing the sentence.
Judicial Disposition and Sentencing Factors
This case highlights the complex judicial balancing act required when adjudicating violent crimes involving documented mental health crises. The sentence rendered by the Superior Court reflects a consideration of the defendant’s psychiatric evaluations—specifically the diagnosis of amphetamine-induced psychosis—mitigated against the severity of the assault and the risk posed to the minors present during the standoff. By utilizing a suspended sentence structure, the court aims to ensure public safety through incarceration while mandating long-term supervision and compliance via probation. It is important to note that while this case has concluded with a sentencing, in all criminal proceedings, individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
