Wyoming Self-Defense Attorney

Wyoming’s Self-Defense Laws: What You Are Legally Allowed to Do

Wyoming law says you have the right to protect yourself, your family, and your home, even with deadly force if necessary. But you can still be charged with a crime even if you exercise that right. Every year in Wyoming, people who really acted in self-defense are charged with assault, battery, and even murder. You need a lawyer who knows how to make a self-defense case that will stand up in court when that happens.

The Self-Defense Law in Wyoming

Wyoming’s self-defense law says that a person may use force against another person if they have a good reason to believe that force is necessary to protect themselves from the other person’s imminent use of illegal force. The amount of force used must be appropriate for the threat. Deadly force is only okay when the person has a good reason to think they are about to die or be seriously hurt. In Wyoming, you don’t have to run away before using force to protect yourself.

Wyoming’s Castle Doctrine

Wyoming’s Castle Doctrine is written down in Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-602 says that a person who is in a place where they have a legal right to be does not have to back down before using force, even deadly force, to protect themselves or someone else. This protection is strongest in a person’s home, but in Wyoming, it also applies to any place where the person has a legal right to be. The Castle Doctrine stops the prosecution from saying that you should have run away instead of fighting back.

Defense of Others in Wyoming

Wyoming law also says you can use force, even deadly force, to protect someone else from imminent harm. The same rules apply: the defender must have a good reason to believe that the person they are defending is about to be attacked with illegal force, and the force used must match the threat. Defense of others happens a lot in cases of domestic violence, fights at bars, and when someone steps in to protect a stranger. In Wyoming courts, we have successfully made the case for the defense of others.

Building a Self-Defense Case in Wyoming

It’s not enough to say you were scared to claim self-defense. To make a strong self-defense case, you need to show what you thought at the time you used force, why that thought was reasonable given the situation, and that the amount of force you used was appropriate for the threat you faced. This needs witness statements, physical proof, the history between the two sides, and sometimes expert testimony. Just Criminal Law has taken self-defense cases to court in Wyoming and won. Not Guilty in State v. Davis. Not guilty in State v. Van Horn. We know how to make these defenses work.