Court Opinion

ID: 9573061
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:47:26.063612+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:36:38.626345
License: Public Domain

JOHNSON, Presiding Judge,
specially concurring.
I concur in the Court’s decision herein to reverse and remand the case for a new trial but I need to specially concur as it relates to such case. It should be made certain that a jury instruction of self-defense can only be made in a case where one of two things occur. The first would be under the general type of case where a defendant takes the stand and testifies as to the self-defense issue. This, quite frankly, is the easiest of the two.
The second would be where there is direct or circumstantial evidence that would allow an instruction of self-defense even though the defendant does not take the stand. This would be in that unusual case where there is clear and convincing evidence of self-defense. In those cases, the court should give the self-defense instruction. This would allow a defendant to preserve their Fifth Amendment right.