Jones v. State

Summary

The court affirmed Cynthia Jones’s convictions, holding that any error in refusing to instruct the jury on self-defense was harmless. Even assuming slight evidence supported the instruction and that the refusal was erroneous, the evidence of self-defense was weak, no weapon was shown to be involved in the immediate altercation, and Jones emphasized an accident defense at trial. The court concluded it was highly probable that the jury would have reached the same verdict with a self-defense instruction.