Erik Bang 'Eric' Madison, aged 41, died on March 24, 1934, in Burbank, California. His death was the result of a tragic incident involving his wife, Nellie Madison. On the day of the incident, Erik was allegedly changing out of his day clothes when Nellie, after enduring repeated episodes of spousal abuse, pointed a gun at him. Erik reportedly reached under the bed for a box of butcher knives and threatened to cut her heart out. In response, Nellie shot Erik in the back five times, leading to his death.
Following the incident, Nellie Madison was arrested and formally arraigned on March 29, 1934, on suspicion of fatally shooting her husband. The case quickly garnered significant attention, with Los Angeles County District Attorney Buron Fitts seeking the death penalty for Nellie even before all the facts were known. During her trial, Nellie initially made no mention of the spousal abuse and claimed she was not at the scene of the murder. This implausible story led to her conviction, and she was sentenced to death by Judge Charles Fricke. The California Supreme Court upheld her conviction on appeal.
However, the case took a turn when Nellie's ex-husband, who remained her friend, urged her to reveal the spousal abuse. Despite Judge Fricke dismissing the allegations of domestic violence as 'ridiculous,' public support for Nellie grew, including from prominent journalist Agness 'Aggie' Underwood. Underwood's investigation revealed that Erik had a history of beating both Nellie and his ex-wife into signing false confessions of infidelity. This revelation led all the jurors who convicted Nellie to petition Governor Frank Merriam to commute her sentence. In September 1935, Merriam commuted her sentence to life in prison. Nellie continued to fight for her freedom, and after a letter-writing campaign, Governor Culbert Olson released her from prison on March 27, 1943, exactly nine years and three days after the murder.
Erik Bang Madison's death and the subsequent trial of Nellie Madison highlighted issues of domestic violence and the legal system's handling of such cases. Nellie's case helped bring attention to the abuse defense, a concept that was virtually unknown at the time in criminal cases. Her story remains a significant example of the complexities surrounding domestic violence and the justice system.
