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Instead, the jury believed a self-defense argument that Etute feared for his life after seeing the victim "make a reach" toward his bed where a knife was later found.

Also noteworthy:

On July 1, 2021 -- just more than a month after Smith's death -- Virginia passed a bill restricting the use of the so-called gay panic defense, in which a defendant accused of homicide could receive a lesser sentence by saying they panicked after finding out the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity.