State v. Thomas

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF KANSAS No. 116,111 STATE OF KANSAS, Appellant, v. FREDDIE ALEC THOMAS, Appellee. SYLLABUS BY THE COURT 1. Probable cause is the standard used to decide whether a defendant is entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution under K.S.A. 2019 Supp. 21-5231, which is the statute broadly encompassing justifications for using force to defend people or property. The State bears the burden to establish probable cause that defendant's use of force was not statutorily justified when a defendant invokes the statute. 2. For purposes of K.S.A. 2019 Supp. 21-5231, the…