Hunt v. State of Alabama

On March 9, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama, John Hunt fatally shot an unarmed trespasser, Marcus Webb, in his driveway after a verbal altercation. Hunt claimed self-defense under Alabama's Stand Your Ground law, asserting he feared for his life. The State charged him with second-degree murder, arguing Hunt could have safely retreated into his home and that the threat was not imminent. A jury convicted Hunt, and he appealed. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction, holding that the Stand Your Ground statute requires a reasonable belief of imminent deadly force, which was not met because Webb was retreating. The case raised critical questions about the boundaries of self-defense immunity in confrontations occurring at the threshold of one's dwelling.

The Alabama Supreme Court denied certiorari, leaving the appellate decision intact. John Hunt's conviction for second-degree murder was upheld, and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The court clarified that Castle Doctrine protections did not extend to the open driveway and that the defendant failed to demonstrate an objectively reasonable belief of imminent death or great bodily harm.

Whether the Stand Your Ground law and Castle Doctrine confer immunity from prosecution when a homeowner uses lethal force against a trespasser who is in the curtilage but not actively attempting to enter the dwelling, and whether a duty to retreat existed under the circumstances.

The ruling sparked intense national debate over the limits of Stand Your Ground laws and homeowners' rights. Gun rights advocates criticized the decision as eroding self-defense protections, while gun control and civil rights groups applauded it as a check on excessive force. Alabama legislators introduced bills to expand Castle Doctrine protections to all areas of private property, and the case became a focal point in the 2026 midterm elections.