Vermont Statutes Title 13 Sec. 2305
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 13 Sec. 2305
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
§ 2305. Justifiable homicide
(a) If a person kills or wounds another under any of the circumstances enumerated below, the person shall be guiltless:
(1) in the just and necessary defense of the person’s own life or the life of any other person;
(2) if the person reasonably believed that the person, or any other person, was in imminent peril and that it was necessary to repel that peril with deadly force in the forceful or violent suppression of a person attempting to commit murder, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, burglary, or robbery; or
(3) in the case of a law enforcement officer as defined in 20 V.S.A. § 2351(a) using force in compliance with 20 V.S.A. § 2368(b)(1)-(2) and (5) or deadly force in compliance with 20 V.S.A. § 2368(c)(1)-(4) and (6).
(b) This section shall not be construed to limit or infringe upon defenses granted at common law. (Amended 1983, No. 23, § 2; 2019, No. 165 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 1, 2021; 2021, No. 27, § 4, eff. Oct. 1, 2021; 2021, No. 95 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 21, 2022.)