Supreme Court of Maryland

Crawford v. State

May 1, 1963231 Md. 354

Summary

The court held that Crawford was justified in using deadly force to prevent Ferrell from forcibly entering his home to beat and rob him. Because Crawford had no duty to retreat from his home and the credited evidence showed that he fired only when Ferrell was about to force entry, the trial court clearly erred in finding that the force was excessive. The manslaughter judgment was reversed without a new trial.