Barron County murder suspect acquitted

BARRON COUNTY (WQOW) - A jury has reached its verdict in the case of a Barron County woman charged with murdering her boyfriend moments after she caught him having sex with another woman.

After a weeklong trial and four hours of deliberation, a Barron County jury found Melanie Kuula not guilty Friday of second degree intentional homicide. The Almena woman was charged in the August 2019 death of Brett Bents, who died of a single knife wound to his chest.

Kuula took the witness stand during her trial and claimed it was self defense.