Yvonne Wanrow

Who is Yvonne Wanrow?

Yvonne Wanrow, now known as Yvonne L. Swan, is a Native American woman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation known for the 1972 trial concerning the shooting death of a man who had attempted to molest her son. Wanrow became a cause célèbre of the feminist and American Indian movements, and her case reached the Washington Supreme Court, where its outcome had far-reaching effects on the manner in which juries interpret the behavior of a defendant, the legality of recorded conversations, and considerations for victims of sexual assault.