State v. Edwards
Louisiana Supreme Court
420 So. 2d 663 (1982)
- Written by Abby Roughton, JD
Facts
Nancy Edwards (defendant) and her husband, Don, had an altercation during which Don physically abused Nancy, who struck him with a crowbar. Later that day, Nancy saw Don’s truck at the home of Audlee Outz. Nancy took a loaded gun, forcibly entered Outz’s house, and found Don and Outz in a bedroom. Don and Nancy had a confrontation, and Nancy shot and killed Don. The State of Louisiana (plaintiff) charged Nancy with second-degree murder. Nancy claimed that she acted in self-defense. At trial, Nancy testified that she never threatened Don with the gun, but that Don charged at Nancy with raised hands and reminded Nancy that he had threatened to kill her if she came to Outz’s house. Nancy further testified that she was unable to run away and that she shot Don to keep Don from killing her. Law-enforcement officers testified regarding what Nancy told them about the shooting and the events preceding the shooting. Other evidence at trial included photographs of bruises on Nancy’s body and testimony regarding where the gun was fired. Nancy attempted to present testimony from an officer who spoke to Don a few hours before the shooting. The officer intended to testify that Don threatened to kill Nancy if Nancy ever confronted him again. The trial court refused to allow the testimony about this threat. The jury found Nancy guilty, and she appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Norris, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
