By Howard Packowitz

EUREKA – A former Bloomington High School Spanish teacher, sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for killing her husband, was the perfect candidate for probation, according to her lawyer.

Defense attorney Stephanie Wong said Sarah Mellor of Bloomington was “extremely remorseful” after stabbing her husband in the chest with a hunting knife last October at a rural Woodford County campground near Carlock.

Mellor drove her husband, Mark Mellor, 31, to the hospital, where he died.

Mellor pleaded guilty in May to a reduced charge of second-degree murder, meaning she unreasonably believed self-defense was necessary when the couple fought at the campground.

Tuesday, Wong presented letters of support for her client from students, their parents, other teachers, and administrators. She said letters also came from Friends of the Constitution Trail, of which Mellor served as a board member, and two BHS teachers testified on Mellor’s behalf at the sentencing hearing.

Wong said the killing did not happen in a vacuum. She said Mark Mellor’s job as an animal control officer took a toll on him and on the couple’s marriage.

Judge Michael Stroh’s eight-year sentence was less than the 12-year recommendation from the state’s attorney and the maximum penalty of 20-years for the reduced murder charge.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]