United States v. Eng-Jua

Summary

This 1908 criminal case involved defendants who inflicted wounds on a victim and claimed exemption from liability under the defense of others provision. The Supreme Court En Banc affirmed their conviction, ruling that the defendants could not invoke defense of others because the original altercation had ended before they arrived, and their actions were motivated by revenge rather than protection. The Court emphasized that valid defense of others requires actual ongoing danger and proper motivation, not retaliatory violence after the fact. This case establishes important precedent on the temporal and motivational requirements for the defense of others exemption in Philippine criminal law.