State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Larry Powell, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed Larry Powell's second‑degree murder conviction and remanded for a new trial because the trial court erred by refusing to give a voluntary manslaughter instruction based on provocation/passion. The Court held that the record supported such an instruction and that the omission was not harmless error. It declined to decide the availability of an imperfect self‑defense manslaughter instruction, noting it was not raised.