Washington V. Mccullum

Petitioner Alva W. McCullum stabbed William Slater to death on March 23, 1978, in the presence of several witnesses in a Seattle cocktail lounge. Petitioner claimed he acted in self-defense. A jury convicted him of first degree murder, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Court of Appeals, Division One, upheld McCullum's conviction and sentence. State v. McCullum, 28 Wash. App. 145, 622 P.2d 873 (1981). We find the trial court committed  prejudicial error in its instructions to the jury and therefore reverse and remand for a new trial.