Perhaps one of our certified criminal attorneys or paralegals can answer this: minus other eyewitnesses or circumstantial evidence, isn't it very difficult to prove "self-defense" if the defendant does NOT take the stand?
I suppose exceptions might be cases where the killer was a victim of long-term abuse witnessed by others. But in cases like this, where there is so little evidence that JA had any reason to fear for her life, how does she prove her case without testifying?
(Just to remind us all: as I understand it, "self-defense" is an an affirmative defense. The burden of proof shifts to the defendant to prove she was in imminent fear for her life. In theory, she can't just have her lawyer say it and then demand the prosecution prove otherwise.)