Self-Defense: Who Has to Prove It? | Beyond the Verdict Ep. 2

Most people have self-defense exactly backwards. They think it's a claim you raise and then have to sell to a jury. In Massachusetts, once it's properly in the case, the Commonwealth has to prove you did NOT act in self-defense - beyond a reasonable doubt. I prosecuted murder cases before I started defending them. This episode walks the line between self-defense and homicide: what the law asks, the duty to retreat, why these cases are decided on what happened before and after rather than the fight itself, and a real case that turned on a 911 call made before anything happened. CHAPTERS 0:00 Where does self-defense end? 1:29 Part 1 - What the law actually asks 8:49 Part 2 - It was never about the fight 18:17 Part 3 - What I saw from the other chair 21:07 Part 4 - True, and still unprovable Beyond the Verdict is the podcast from Cashman Legal - criminal defense across Massachusetts. Website: cashman.law Newsletter: cashmanlawyer.substack.com Educational commentary only. Not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by watching. Attorney advertising. TAGS: criminal defense, self defense, burden of proof, Massachusetts lawyer, former prosecutor, criminal law, trial, jury, duty to retreat