Ashley Guimont, of Coram, pleads not guilty in fatal shooting of live-in boyfriend on July 4

A Coram woman pleaded not guilty Monday to a second-degree murder charge as her attorney claimed self-defense in the July 4 killing of her live-in boyfriend.

Ashley Guimont, 44, was ordered held without bail while prosecutors await DNA analysis in the killing of Alex Carter, 47, inside their Coram apartment.

Her attorney said she was a victim of domestic violence and shot him in the face over her shoulder as he was on top of her while wrestling on the floor just before 3 a.m.

A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Guimont on the second-degree murder charge and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for using Carter's 9 mm handgun and a .38 revolver she kept in her closet as a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, attorneys said.

Prosecutors said she dialed 911 following the shooting and waited for police to arrive. She left the gun on the kitchen counter. Following her arrest, Guimont spoke to police three times about the shooting and was also found with scrapes on her arms and marks on her neck.

Police interviewed Guimont where she "made admissions to having shot her boyfriend," Assistant District Attorney Michelle Chiuchiolo said. "However, she claims that she did so in self-defense as he was strangling her."

Prosecutors also said her statements were inconsistent with the trajectory of the gunshot and the entrance wound.

Attorneys are still waiting for a blood spatter report and DNA testing of blood on the back of Guimont's shirt.

Guimont helped perform CPR with directions by 911 operators before police arrived, her attorney, Raymond Baierlein said.

He described Carter and Guimont as both body builders, but noted Carter was twice her size at 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 275 pounds.

Baierlein said Carter pulled his gun on Guimont first before a struggle, causing it to end up on the floor.

"He was choking my client by sitting on top of her," Baierlein said, adding he then came behind her in a wrestling chokehold with his arm.

Guimont reached around her for the gun and fired it over her left shoulder until she felt his grip loosen, he said.

"My client is a victim of a domestic attack and the actions she took that night were purely in self-defense," Baierlein said. "My client is a victim; she's not a murderer, and I think the evidence is going to support that."

Baierlein said Guimont served as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy for seven years before an injury forced her to retire. She has no criminal record.

The couple had dated for eight years before moving in February from Georgia, Baierlein said. Guimont did not testify before the grand jury.

Suffolk County Judge Steven Pilewski ordered Guimont held without bail, pending further investigation, he said. She is scheduled to return to court Sept. 2.

If convicted, she could face 25 years to life in prison.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.