Actually there is a castle law in West Virginia and a pretty strong one at that, it just became law in 2008....
On Wednesday, March 12, Governor Joe ManchinMan , (D) signed Senate Bill 145, West Virginia’s “Castle Doctrine” bill, into law. SB145 will permit law-abiding citizens to use force, including deadly force, against an attacker in their homes and any places outside of their home where they have a legal right to be. It is clearly stated that there is no “duty to retreat” from an attacker, allowing law-abiding citizens to stand their ground to protect themselves and their family. SB145 also protects individuals from civil lawsuits by the attacker or the attacker’s family when force is used.
I don't know if there is more to the story than we our hearing, or if this is a case of some anti- defense law enforcement/prosecuting attorney. In any case, the population of West Virginia tends to be as pro-self defense as deep Texas, so I don't see this going very far in the courts.
I guess the issue revolves around whether or not protecting the life of a third party is covered by the WV statute. It is in some states. Hopefully the jury will correct this error and if necessary, the legislation gets an update and the prosecutor gets fired.