State of Maryland v. Melvin Faulkner

Summary

The court held that Maryland recognizes imperfect self-defense under an honest-but-unreasonable-belief standard. Because that mitigation defense negates malice without fully exonerating the defendant, it applies to assault with intent to murder, and the trial court should have instructed the jury on it when the evidence supported Faulkner's subjective belief in the need for deadly force. The court affirmed the intermediate appellate court's judgment reversing the convictions.