Lynn woman accused of murdering her boyfriend to go on trial this summer

SALEM – A Lynn woman charged with stabbing her ex-boyfriend to death 2006 in what was described by her attorney as a long and violent relationship is expected to go to trial in July and say she acted in self-defense and suffered from battered women’s syndrome.Kathie DeFelice, 48, who last lived at 27 Union St., in Lynn, stands charged with premeditated murder in the killing of William H. Olsen, II, on or about Oct. 31, 2006.Wednesday afternoon in Salem Superior Court, Assistant District Attorney Kate B. MacDougall and DeFelice’s defense lawyer asked Judge Howard J. Whitehead to set a July 14 trial date for their case and the judge scheduled that week for the expected week long trial. It is not known yet which Superior Court it will be sent to.On the night of Olsen’s death, DeFelice, who had a restraining order out against Olsen, called police from a pay phone at the Stop & Shop in Vinnin Square, Swampscott, about two miles from her apartment.She dialed the phone directly, not a 911 call, telling authorities she had been attacked by her boyfriend.When police arrived about 2:30 a.m., they apparently observed some injuries to her neck. She told police Olsen, 55, of Danvers had attacked her, and suggested they check on him because she had stabbed Olsen with a small knife in her apartment.Police went to her Union Street apartment and found Olsen dead on a love seat and a knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was found at his feet.There apparently was no sign of any struggle taking place. Empty beer cans and an empty bottle of wine were found in the apartment, according to reports.The couple met in the summer of 1998 and had what was described as a stormy relationship throughout involving frequent separations when DeFelice would reportedly go from sleeping in her car to a shelter.DeFelice’s lawyer has indicated he expects to call three experts during the trial who will say that DeFelice was a battered women and suffered from the syndrome.The case was continued to May 30 for a final pretrial conference.In the meantime, DeFelice remains held at Framingham Prison for Women without bail.