Mayes v. State

RUCKER, Justice.

Indiana's self-defense statute essentially provides that the defense is not available to a person who is committing a crime. *392We interpret the statute to mean there must be an immediate causal connection between the crime and the confrontation. In this case, there was sufficient evidence before the jury to conclude that the crime of unlawful possession of a handgun was causally connected to the murder. Therefore, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

Facts

Kenneth Mayes, his girlfriend Mary Dew ("Mary"), and her sister Joyce Dew ("Joyce") were spending time at Mayes' home…