= new reply since forum marked as read
and it's not any different nor any better...
They are setting off fireworks now in my end of the rural suburbs!!! 
It was working with some pretty shite law. After reading the jury instructions, I was hoping for manslaughter but I wasn't even sure Z could be convicted on that.
All the defense had to do was say "la la self-defense" and voila the prosecution had to prove it was NOT self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. And the initial good-ole-boy network refusal to investigate and prosecute the case properly hobbled any later effort to meet such a burden.
In my state, self-defense is an affirmative defense, that once asserted, must be proven by preponderance of the evidence by the DEFENSE. In the event of an acquittal, the state must reimburse defendant for reasonable defense costs (this is my state's check against erroneous/malicious prosecutions). It makes so much more sense than being able to claim "la la self-defense" and being able to walk without ever justifying the claim.
All I can say is, work to change your state's overly permissive law that gives gun nuts free reign to kill whomever they want and then scream "self-defense, he looked at me funny." 
