State v. Wardlow
State v. Wardlow
28 N.C. App. 220; 220 S.E.2d 638; 1975 N.C. App. LEXIS 1724
State v. Wardlow
Opinion of the Court
During the course of the trial, defendants presented evidence tending to show that the assault was committed in self-defense. After retiring for deliberation, the jury returned to the courtroom and asked to be instructed again on the applicable law of self-defense. As the record appears before us, the court apparently advised the jury that:
“Now, if you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant assaulted the prosecuting witness but do not find that he had an intent to kill, that assault would be excused as being in self-defense of the circumstances at the time that he acted and as would create in the mind of a person of ordinary firmness a reasonable belief that such action was necessary to protect himself from bodily injury or offensive physical contact, and that the circumstances did create such a belief in the defendant’s mind.”
This instruction tends to .confuse the various critical elements of the law of self-defense and could possibly engender some misunderstanding in the minds of the jurors as to the nature of the applicable law. Therefore, a new trial must be had for both defendants.
New trial.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.