Jackson v. United States

STEADMAN, Associate Judge:

Appellant Michael Jackson shot and killed Darnell McKinney in a dispute over appellant’s girlfriend. Appellant argued self-defense, asserting that McKinney had pulled a gun on him. Another defense witness testified that, if not a gun, McKinney had pulled out at least a “black object.” Appellant was convicted of voluntary manslaughter while armed.

Appellant contends that the trial court committed reversible error by refusing to instruct the jury about the effect of “false appearances” on a self-defense claim. We conclude that although the instruction should have been…