Source: Angela Dorian’s 1968 Playboy cover. Source: Playboy Magazine.

This week, ex-Playboy playmate Victoria Rathgeb plead no contest to attempted voluntary manslaughter of her husband in 2010 and was sentenced to nine years in prison for the offense. She admitted to using a gun on her husband to cause great bodily injury last year, while her and her husband were under the influence of methamphetamines and alcohol. In exchange for her plea, the judge dismissed the attempted murder charge and sentenced her to nine years in state prison and  ordered her to pay $70,000 in fines to pay to the state victim restitution fund.

Attempted Voluntary Manslaughter is when one intends to kill another person with a conscious disregard for human life and takes a step towards committing that murder, but does not actually kill that person. There are a variety of legal defenses that can be used if one is charged with attempted voluntary manslaughter, including: self defense, defense of others, insanity, or accident.

Voluntary Manslaughter is a serious charge that comes with steep penalties. Therefore, if you are charged with manslaughter, murder or attempted murder, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.