State v. Hendrickson

Philip Lang died of a stab wound after a fight with his girlfriend, Geraldine Hendrickson. The State charged Hendrickson with felony murder. Hendrickson said she did not intend to kill Lang and did not remember inflicting the fatal blow. Persuaded that Hendrickson’s testimony established only a defense of accident, the trial court took the issue of self-defense out of the case. We hold the testimony was sufficient to support Hendrickson’s claim of self-defense.

I

At trial, Hendrickson testified that she and Lang began drinking beer when they arrived at their apartment after work on a Friday…