“....How would you portray these suspects if you were defending them?....”
It is how the prosecuting DA will portray this man arrested for murder to the jury. Depending on the skill of the DA, the skill of the defense attorney, and the bias of the jury; any verdict can happen. That is why one needs to be willing to go to jail (i.e. to preserve your life or that of someone important to you) if you use “deadly force.” The legal system is not about “justice” it is all about technicalities.
You bet, never mind justice. It's all about the skill level of corrupt lawyers and government prosecutors and how many white hating jurors they can pad the jury with.