Abel Aldaco Gonzales was a 44-year-old state parole agent who died on October 27, 2007, in San Bernardino, California, after being shot during a domestic confrontation at his home. Mia testified that Abel had been physically abusive for months and that during the fight he restrained her; she said she retrieved a handgun and that the weapon discharged during a struggle, the bullet striking Abel in the head.

Prosecutors disputed that account, arguing the abuse claims were fabricated and that the shooting was intentional, allegedly motivated by anger over infidelity. The jury acquitted Mia of first- and second-degree murder but deadlocked on voluntary manslaughter. Under a later plea, Mia pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received an eight-year sentence, with much of that term offset by time already spent in custody. Abel’s family has said they are deeply dissatisfied with the outcome.