Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Sure. Accused killers who self-identify as battered intimate partners are entitled to numerous special legal protections including the right to have expert testimony presented on the effects of battering (so-called battered spouse syndrome), the right to have jury instructions on the subject, and the right of an indigent defendant to have the expert witness paid at public expense. And, of course, there is the legal defense of self-defense -- someone who is really defending herself or himself using appropriate force doesn't need "syndromes" or expert testimony.