First, with exceptions, the defendant must prove that he or she was confronted with an unprovoked attack. To successfully claim self-defense, the defendant must prove four elements.
Criminal homicide is discussed in detail in Chapter 9 “Criminal Homicide”. Defendants who commit criminal homicide justified by self-defense can be acquitted, or have a murder charge reduced from first to second or third degree, or have a charge reduced from murder to manslaughter. Self-defense can operate as a perfect or imperfect defense, depending on the circumstances. Examples of deadly force are the use of a knife, gun, vehicle, or even bare hands when there is a disparity in size between two individuals.
An individual does not have to actually die for the force to be considered deadly. Deadly force is defined as any force that could potentially kill. Most states have special requirements when the defendant uses deadly force in self-defense. However, it can be modified or expanded by courts on a case-by-case basis. In the majority of states, self-defense is a statutory defense (Mich. Self-defense can be a defense to assault, battery, and criminal homicide because it always involves the use of force.