State v. Santana-Ruiz

NEHRING, Justice:

INTRODUCTION

I 1 Felipe Santana-Ruiz 1 was convicted of murdering Troy Flores. Mr. Santana-Ruiz and Mr. Florez were quarreling at a late-night party, and the argument devolved into an exchange of blows. Mr. Santana-Ruiz, armed with a knife, ended matters when he stabbed Mr. Florez multiple times, killing him. At trial, Geoffrey Clark, Mr. Santana-Ruiz's attorney, attempted to argue that Mr. Santana-Ruiz was legally justified in using deadly force against Mr. Florez because he was acting in self-defense. Mr. Clark's presentation of Mr. Santana-Ruiz's defense was marked by…