Court Opinion

ID: 9619573
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:29:55.208468+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:42.502439
License: Public Domain

Robert J. Gladwin, Judge, dissenting. I dissent because there is simply no evidence that would warrant the trial judge giving a justification instruction. A person is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person if he reasonably believes that person is committing or about to commit a felony involving force or violence. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-607(a)(l). Further, a person may not use deadly physical force in self defense if he knows he can avoid the necessity of using that force with complete safety. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-607(b). Our role is not to weigh the evidence to determine if the justification instruction should have been given. Instead, the standard requires that we limit our consideration to whether there is any evidence tending to support the existence of a defense. Humphrey v. State, 332 Ark. 398, 966 S.W.2d 213 (1998). There was no evidence that the victim, Phillip Joiner, was committing or was about to commit a felony involving force or violence. The testimony was that appellant saw Phillip Joiner strike Lisa Joiner, which caused her to fall on the floor. Appellant stated that Phillip Joiner “looked very angry.” At that point, appellant left the scene. In other words, she had safely retreated, and the act of violence she witnessed was concluded. Moreover, that act was at most a misdemeanor battery, as there was no evidence of any serious physical injury. When appellant returned to the scene and saw that Lisa Joiner was back on her feet, the testimony indicates that she again could have safely retreated and avoided the use of deadly force. Instead appellant held a gun in her hand and told the victim to leave. Appellant testified that “he started to come at me,” so she fired the weapon. According to appellant, Phillip Joiner did not fall after the first shot was fired, but rather “his body started kind of turning.” Nevertheless, appellant continued firing shots at the victim until the gun was empty. Looking angry and coming toward a person are not acts that can be reasonably construed as committing or being about to commit a felony involving force or violence. The majority gives a great deal of weight to all the information appellant had to show that she was afraid of the victim. However, her supposed fear of him is belied by the fact that she went to the Joiners’ house that day because she knew that the victim would be there to pick up Marina and she wanted to invite him and Marina to join her for breakfast. Appellant, who could have retreated without the use of force, was not entitled to an instruction on justification. Neal, J., joins.