G.R. No. L-970, December 1, 1902
THE UNITED STATES, complainant-appellee, vs. TEODORO REYES, defendant-appellant.

FACTS:
The defendant-appellant, Teodoro Reyes, was charged after an altercation with the deceased, whom he found cutting bamboo on land claimed by Reyes. The deceased died from a stab wound. The prosecution’s evidence consisted primarily of the deceased’s ante-mortem declaration made during a preliminary investigation and his statements to his brother. These accounts indicated that Reyes attacked and stabbed the deceased after a verbal argument over the bamboo cutting. Reyes, testifying in his own defense, claimed he was the teniente of the barrio and that when he confronted the deceased, the latter attacked him with a bolo. Reyes stated he retreated, avoided the blows, and ultimately grappled with the deceased, during which he might have wounded him with a knife in self-defense. His account was partially corroborated by two witnesses who saw the struggle from a distance.

ISSUE:
Whether the defendant acted in self-defense and is therefore exempt from criminal liability under the Penal Code.

RULING:
Yes. The Supreme Court found the defendant’s testimony, corroborated by eyewitnesses, more credible than the inconsistent and vague declarations of the deceased. Accepting the defendant’s account as true, the Court held he was acting in the legitimate exercise of his right to defend himself against an unprovoked and wrongful attack. Consequently, he is exempt from criminal responsibility under Article 8(4) of the Penal Code. The judgment of the court below was reversed, and the defendant was acquitted, with the costs of both instances de oficio.