California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Rodriguez, C075491 (Cal. App. 2016):
decedent. [Citations.] Second, . . . the provocation must be such as to cause an ordinary person of average disposition to act rashly or without due deliberation and reflection." (People v. Lujan (2001) 92 Cal.App.4th 1389, 1411-1412.)
" '[N]o defendant may set up his own standard of conduct and justify or excuse himself because in fact his passions were aroused, unless . . . the facts and circumstances were sufficient to arouse the passions of the ordinarily reasonable man.' " (People v. Berry (1976) 18 Cal.3d509, 515 (Berry).) " '[T]he fundamental of the inquiry is whether or not the defendant's reason was, at the time of his act, so disturbed or obscured by some passion--not necessarily fear and never, of course, the passion for revenge--to such an extent as would render ordinary men of average disposition liable to act rashly or without due deliberation and reflection, and from this passion rather than from judgment.' " (Ibid.)
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