General v. State

Because I believe that the instructions given by the trial court in this case fairly cover the law relating to the requested mistake of fact instruction, I respectfully dissent.

The trial court’s authority with respect to jury instructions is governed by Maryland Rule 4-325, which provides:

The court may, and at the request of any party shall, instruct the jury as to the applicable law and the extent to which the instructions are binding. The court may give its instructions orally or, with the consent of the parties, in writing instead of orally. The cm,rt need not grant a requested instruction…