Billy Campbell v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), 49A02-1601-CR-97

On Aug. 15, 2015, after a fair, Billy Campbell (driver of a white van) and Chelsea Lipe had a road‑rage confrontation; Lipe honked and yelled after the van tried to pass her.
Campbell stopped abruptly; both parties exited their vehicles and argued face‑to‑face. Lipe did not hit Campbell.
Campbell punched Lipe in the face, causing her to fall, lose a tooth, and suffer a fractured jaw; Lipe’s husband had retrieved a tire jack but had not yet reached them when the punch occurred.
Campbell returned to his van at his son’s urging and drove off; Lipe’s husband smashed the van’s rear window and the Lipes contacted police; Campbell was stopped and arrested.
Campbell was charged with and convicted by the bench of battery (Class A misdemeanor); he appealed, asserting the State failed to rebut his claim of self‑defense.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether the State presented sufficient evidence to rebut Campbell’s self‑defense claim	State: evidence shows Campbell instigated confrontation and struck an unarmed Lipe, negating self‑defense	Campbell: Lipe and her husband were aggressors (Lipe swinging arms; husband with tire jack)	Affirmed: State presented sufficient evidence rebutting self‑defense; conviction upheld

Miller v. State, 720 N.E.2d 696 (Ind. 1999) (State may rebut self‑defense by relying on sufficiency of evidence in chief)
Wilson v. State, 770 N.E.2d 799 (Ind. 2002) (standard for reviewing sufficiency to negate self‑defense)
Cole v. State, 28 N.E.3d 1126 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015) (upholding conviction where victim testified defendant struck first despite defendant’s contradictory testimony)
Huls v. State, 971 N.E.2d 739 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012) (same standard of review for sufficiency when self‑defense claimed)
Bryant v. State, 984 N.E.2d 240 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013) (elements required to establish statutory self‑defense)