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State of Iowa
v.
Lha Southideth-Whiten
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Lha Southideth-Whiten
Attorney for the Appellee
Benjamin Parrott, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
Ashley Stewart, Assistant Appellate Defender
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Lee (North) County, John M. Wright, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Bower, C.J., and May and Greer, JJ. Opinion by Bower, C.J. (14 pages)
Lha Southideth-Whiten appeals his conviction for voluntary manslaughter, in violation of Iowa Code sections 707.4 (2016). He contends the trial court abused its discretion in excluding expert testimony concerning his justification defense and erred in instructing the jury that a person is not justified in using reasonable force if an alternative course of action is available without noting the “home exception.” OPINION HOLDS: Finding no abuse of the trial court’s discretion concerning the expert witness’s testimony or error in the jury instructions, we affirm.