Yvonne Swan

Yvonne L. Swan (née Wanrow; born 1943), also known as Yvonne Swan Wanrow, is an American activist from the Colville Indian Reservation. A Sinixt, she is a Native American and is part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Under the surname Wanrow, she is known for her 1970s murder trial with the State of Washington, which initiated proceedings against her after she shot and killed a White man who was allegedly trying to rape her toddler son on August 11, 1972. While she was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison for second degree murder and first degree assault, an appeal saw her instead being convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to probation, thus leading to her becoming a cause célèbre among feminists and the American Indian Movement. Her case eventually reached the Washington Supreme Court, where its outcome had far-reaching effects on women's self-defense and the law, and the manner in which juries interpret the behavior of a defendant, the legality of recorded conversations, and considerations for victims of sexual assault.