State v. Melendez

OPINION

EASLEY, Chief Justice.

Melendez, charged with murder, pled self-defense, but the jury found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter. The Court of Appeals reversed on four issues, ordering Melendez to be discharged from custody. The State petitioned for certiorari on one issue, and we reverse the Court of Appeals as to that issue.

The issue: When the jury failed to acquit Melendez on his self-defense plea, is a voluntary manslaughter conviction precluded as a matter of law when a jury fails to acquit a defendant when there is some evidence of self-defense. Stated differently, where it is…