Dennis v. State
Court of Special Appeals of Maryland
105 Md. App. 687 (1995)
Relevant factsFree
After learning his wife Robin was having an affair with Bantz and later that Bantz had smoked cocaine in front of their son, John Dennis (defendant) went to Bantz's home with a gun and, upon finding Robin and Bantz hugging and partially undressed, shot and killed Bantz; Dennis was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder after the trial court gave a narrow manslaughter instruction requiring provocation based on sudden discovery of actual or imminent sexual intercourse.
IssueFree
Whether, to reduce a killing from murder to manslaughter, the provocation must be sufficient under the law to overcome the restraint normally expected from reasonable persons.