State v. Holloman

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The court of appeals erred by determining the the trial court committed prejudicial error in instructing the jury concerning the right of self-defense.Defendant was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill and inflicting serious injury. Defendant requested that the trial court instruct the jury concerning the law of self-defense and defense of another. Instead of delivering the exact instruction that Defendant requested, the trial court instead instructed the jury with respect to the issue of self-defense using a modified version of the pattern jury instruction relating to felonious assaults. The jury found Defendant guilty. The court of appeals awarded Defendant a new trial on the grounds that the trial court’s deviations from the pattern self-defense instruction misstated the law. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the trial court’s instructions concerning the law of self-defense were not erroneous. View "State v. Holloman" on Justia Law