Self-defense is a criminal defense that can be raised by criminal defendants who inflict serious harm on another person and they believe that they were justified in doing so. This defense can be raised in crimes such as murder, assault, battery and others where the accused responded to the threat of force or violence from the victim. While Missouri laws prohibit the use of force and violence against other persons, they equally allow individuals to use reasonable and proportionate force to protect themselves from imminent harm. Therefore, inflicting serious harm or even killing an assailant may not be considered a criminal act when the defendant reasonably believes that his or her life is at stake.

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