The woman serving time for the 2016 death of her estranged husband has appealed her conviction.

Laura Rideout is pointing the finger at her sons in an effort to get out of prison. Her hope is that the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division Fourth Judicial Department will see her side.

Rideout is serving time for the death of her estranged husband Craig Rideout. She and her son Colin were found guilty of killing Craig in his Penfield home and disposing of the body in Yates County.

“We have fully admitted that Laura was involved in the clean up after the murder—there’s no doubt about it,” defense attorney William Clauss said. “And maybe that was a morally wrong choice, but it was the choice that a mother made. She could have called the authorities I suppose and tried to turn in her children but she didn’t, and that doesn’t make her a murderer.”

The argument for appeal centers on the issue of severing.

The defense says Laura should not have been tried with the co-defendants, and the fact that she was did not give her an opportunity for a fair trial. It also argues that the case should be dismissed because there is not enough evidence for a conviction. If these arguments fail, the defense is calling for a lighter sentence.

“We do have the conviction. Ms. Rideout was proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and a jury in Monroe County has determined her guilt and therefore it’s our job to uphold the conviction and make sure that it stays in place with the sentence in tact as it was assigned to her,” said Leah Mervine, deputy chief of appeals, Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.

Laura is serving a 41-year sentence, while Colin is serving 27 years. Her other son Alex was convicted of tampering with evidence.

A decision on the appeal could come any time in the next 30 days.