Court Opinion

ID: 9547441
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 17:47:21.622158+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:17:44.599296
License: Public Domain

McFarland, J.,
dissenting: There can be no doubt from the evidence that the deceased was a violent, brutal man who had repeatedly attacked and injured his wife over a number of years. I am concerned, however, that the majority opinion is an example of the old adage that harsh facts make bad law.
Black’s Law Dictionary 675-76 (5th ed. 1979) contains the following definitions:
“IMMEDIATE. Present; at once; without delay; not deferred by any interval of time. In this sense, the word, without any very precise signification, denotes that action is or must be taken either instantly or without any considerable loss of time.”
“IMMINENT. Near at hand; mediate rather than immediate; close rather than touching; impending; on the point of happening; threatening; menacing; perilous.”
“IMMINENT DANGER. In relation to homicide in self-defense, this term means immediate danger, such as must be instantly met, such as cannot be guarded against by calling for the assistance of others or the protection of the law. Or, as otherwise defined, such an appearance of threatened and impending injury as would put a reasonable and prudent man to his instant defense.”
There is a fine distinction between “immediate” and “immi*470nent.” Probably it would be better to utilize the statutory term “imminent” rather than “immediate” in a self-defense instruction. In a factual situation involving matters of seconds the distinction could be significant and the use of “immediate” could constitute reversible error. An example of such situation would be two men arguing in the middle of a parking lot. One man sees the other reach for the door of his automobile while stating he is going to kill him and he knows the man has a gun or a knife therein. The danger in such circumstances may be imminent but not immediate. But the facts before us do not show imminent or immediate danger of harm.
There were only two persons in the motel room. One admits killing the other. The only version of what transpired is that of the defendant herein. Taking this as true, the deceased told the defendant to leave the premises, giving her money to buy cigarettes. The deceased then sat on the bed in his shorts, not even looking in the defendant’s direction. The defendant reached for her purse by the door, took a gun therefrom and fired five shots at the deceased. The parties were in a motel room in a busy part of the city of Topeka in the early evening hours. They were not in some remote area where help would be difficult to obtain. At the very least, defendant would have had a five-minute head start on the defendant had she failed to return with the cigarettes. I fail to see how, in this factual situation, it could be reversible error to use “immediate” rather than “imminent” in the self-defense instruction as it would not have altered the outcome.
I would affirm the trial court.