By Bob Christie | AZ Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Arizona Supreme Court rules self-defense extends to a locked bedroom.
- Decision overturns an aggravated assault conviction of a man who injured another man
- One justice disagreed, saying a bedroom is not separate from the rest of a residence
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Oct. 7 that the right to claim self-defense extends to someone who is inside a locked bedroom of a home, even if the person trying to enter has been invited into the primary residence.
The ruling vacated the aggravated assault conviction of a Tucson man convicted in a case prosecuted by the Pima County Attorney’s office.
More importantly, it extends Arizona’s robust self-defense laws to areas previously not covered by any other state law.
The high court, with six of the seven justices agreeing, said that John Logan Brown was entitled to have a jury consider some self-defense arguments that had been precluded by a trial judge. Pima County Superior Court Judge Brenden J. Griffin — and the Arizona Court of Appeals — had ruled otherwise.
