Plaintiff-appelle: The United States

Defendant-appellant: Ah Chong
Ponente: J. Carson
FACTS:
The accused, Ah Chong, was employed as a cook in Fort Mckinley and was sharing the house with the deceased, Pascual
Gualberto, who was employed as a house boy. The door of the room they were occupying was not furnished with a
permanent lock, and as a measure of security, they fasten the door by propping a chair against it. One evening, Ah Chong
was suddenly awakened by someone trying to force open the door of their room.The deceased and the accused had an
understanding that when either returned late at night, he should knock at the door and acquaint his companion with his
identity. Ah Chong sat up in bed and called out twice, Who is there? but heard no answer. The room was quite dark, and
as there had been recent robberies in Fort McKinley, fearing that the intruder was a robber or a thief, he leaped to his feet
and called out. If you enter the room, I will kill you. Suddenly, he was struck by the edge of the chair which had been
placed against the door. Believing that he was being attacked, he seized a common kitchen knife which he kept under his
pillow and wildly struck and fatally wounded the intruder who turned out to be his roommate, Pascual.

ISSUE:
Whether or not the accused was criminally liable.

HELD:
No. The rule is that one is not criminally liable if he acted without malice (criminal intent), negligence, and imprudence. In
the present case, the accused acted in good faith, without malice or criminal intent, in the belief that he was doing no more
than exercising his legitimate right of self-defense. Had the facts been as he believed them to be, he would have been
wholly exempt from criminal liability on account of his act. Moreover, the accused cannot be said to have been negligent
or reckless as the facts as he saw them threatens his person and his property. Under such circumstances, there is no
criminal liability, as the ignorance or mistake of fact was not due to negligence or bad faith.