Lawyer: Fatal shooting self-defense

SABATTUS – Still awaiting autopsy results in a California woman’s fatal shooting, state police continued to classify the case as a fatal shooting on Tuesday.

A bitter child custody dispute appears to be at the root of Monday’s violence, in which 29-year-old Melissa Mendoza of Tustin, Calif., was shot in the home of her former boyfriend, Daniel Roberts, 35. The couple have a 2-year-old daughter.

Mendoza was in Maine at the time to attend a child custody hearing.

Roberts’ lawyer, Lenny Sharon, said Roberts had no choice but to shoot Mendoza when she arrived at his home early Monday. Sharon said Mendoza had tried to telephone Roberts several times before arriving at about 1:30 a.m.

Sharon told WCSH-TV that Mendoza was carrying a gun when she arrived at Roberts’ home and threatened to harm Roberts and their daughter. He said Roberts was armed as well and the shooting occurred as Mendoza began to walk from the garage into the house. Roberts called the 911 emergency line after the shooting. He has been interviewed by police.

Mendoza’s lawyer, Bob Guillory, said Sharon’s version of the events leaves a number of questions unanswered.

Guillory said Mendoza was afraid of Roberts and had recently filed protection from abuse order against him, alleging he had threatened her. Mendoza was about to get custody of the couple’s daughter for six months.

Guillory said there was no reason for Mendoza to go to Roberts’ house “because all she had to do was wait it out for another three weeks, four weeks, then she’d have six months of, hopefully, peace and having the child all to herself.”