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RCW 9A.16.050

Homicide—By other person—When justifiable.

Known as the Washington Criminal Code

The act spans §§ 9–9 (401 sections).

Applied in 56 court decisions — leading case 120 Wash. 2d 631 - State v. Benn (1993)

Most recently applied in State Of Washington, V David Y. Bogdanov (July 2023)

2011 c 336 s 354; 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 s 9A.16.050.

How often courts cite this section

197819801990200020102020202330
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

Homicide is also justifiable when committed either:

(1) In the lawful defense of the slayer, or his or her husband, wife, parent, child, brother, or sister, or of any other person in his or her presence or company, when there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design on the part of the person slain to commit a felony or to do some great personal injury to the slayer or to any such person, and there is imminent danger of such design being accomplished; or

(2) In the actual resistance of an attempt to commit a felony upon the slayer, in his or her presence, or upon or in a dwelling, or other place of abode, in which he or she is.

Official source: Washington State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Washington statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.