Charlize Theron Recounts Night Her Mother Killed Her Father in Self-Defense

Overview

• In a New York Times interview published Sunday, Theron says the ordeal no longer defines her and that sharing it can help others feel less alone.
• She recounts that at 15 she and her mother barricaded a bedroom as her father fired through the door.
• She says her mother grabbed a gun, hit the father's brother in the hand, and then shot her father as he went for more weapons.
• She describes years of instability driven by her father's alcoholism, with threats, verbal abuse, and long stretches of silence after fights.
• She frames the case as typical of violence against women, and some outlets report authorities treated the shooting as self-defense with no charges for her mother.