Angelina Napolitano

1. Kingston Penitentiary
   Dates unknown

Angelina Napolitano (March 12, 1882 – September 4, 1932) was an immigrant to Canada who murdered her abusive husband in 1911, igniting a public debate about domestic violence and the death penalty. She was the first woman in Canada to use the battered woman defense on a murder charge and brought domestic abuse to national awareness. Napolitano was found guilty, and although the jury recommended clemency, she was sentenced to death, which led to a flood of petitions asking to have her life spared. After an international outcry, however, the Canadian federal cabinet eventually commuted her sentence to life imprisonment. She served 11 years before being paroled. In 2005, the story of Napolitano's marriage and dramatic trial was turned into an award-winning independent film, Looking for Angelina.