What would have happened to Mary Maloney if she had been found guilty in Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl?

Whichever the laws of her particular state, Mary Maloney
would still have had a really bleak future had she been found guilty of murdering her
husband in Lamb to the
Slaughter.

First, she not only killed her
husband, but her husband happened to be a police officer. That alone is a huge deal
because she would be categorized immediately as a "cop killer" and the punishment that
is applied for attacking (let alone KILLING) an officer of the law is twice as
harsh.

Second, she concealed evidence. If any of the police
officers that were eating the lamb that night had even suspected that the lamb was the
murder weapon- and came forward with proof- Mary would have to also face charges for
that as well.

Mary would have to go through the horrors of
delivering her long-awaited baby in prison, perhaps never get out of prison, and she
would have to find a trusted source to give her child under
custody.

She would probably never see her child grow up,
and her pretty and comfortable home would now be a cold prison cell surrounded by
dangerous females that could be cold-hearted and mean to
her.

Even worse, Mary could have ended up in death row and
really NEVER even have the privilege of any visits from her child. Her family will
probably shun her and she would have been all alone and eventually die
unhappily.

When you think about it, you almost can
understand why she had to come up with a plan.