Washington V. Mayes

The defendant, Robert Mayes, killed Wesley Cameron by stabbing him in the heart in a fight over some heroin. Mayes was charged with first-degree murder. RCW 9.48.030.*fn1 The major issue at trial was whether the killing was done in self-defense. The State argued that Mayes, a heroin addict, murdered Cameron, a heroin dealer, in order to steal his heroin. Mayes, on the other hand, said that Cameron sold him some milk sugar representing it to be heroin, and that when he (Mayes) discovered the deception, he confronted Cameron, who tried to strangle him. Mayes contended that he had to stab Cameron in order to save his own life.