California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Mehserle, A130654 (Cal. App. 2012):
12. People v. Humphrey (1996) 13 Cal.4th 1073, 1083, involving the objective "reasonable person" standard of self-defense, is also instructive. Because the jury was required to consider reasonableness from the point of view of a reasonable person in defendant's position, the jury was required to consider the effect of having been a battered woman. (Id. at pp. 1083, 1086-1087.) But the court cautioned that it was not "replacing the reasonable 'person' standard with a reasonable 'battered woman' standard." (Id. at p. 1087.) "The jury must consider defendant's situation and knowledge, which makes the evidence relevant, but the ultimate question is whether a reasonable person, not a reasonable battered woman, would believe in the need to kill to prevent imminent harm." (Ibid.)
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