After a heated argument with her partner in which she grabbed a machete, Donjane Smith was arrested for aggravated assault. She claimed self-defense.

The reign of the bodybuilding world's most famous couple, Sally and Ray McNeil, ended after Sally murdered Ray with a shotgun in 1995.

After Texas woman Betty Gore was violently killed in her home, a family friend who was her husband's ex-lover, Candace 'Candy' Montgomery, was arrested for the crime. At trial, Candy was found not guilty.

Shayna Hubers shot and killed her boyfriend, Ryan Poston, claiming it was self-defense. But at the murder scene, there were few indications of a domestic disturbance. Read more about this bizarre case.

Having endured a violent and abusive childhood, Aileen 'Lee' Wuornos sold sex to survive—ultimately killing seven men. We spoke with feminist writer Phyllis Chesler about her motivation to help Wuornos's case.

The idea that people have a right to defend themselves—even using force that would otherwise be illegal—harks back centuries to English common law, which formed the basis of the American legal system. We navigate the murky and still-evolving world of self-defense laws in the U.S.

One in nine men experience severe physical violence at the hands of intimate partners. And when they do, their survival is uniquely challenging.

Producers Malcolm and Xander Brinkworth speak with A&E True Crime about what makes their show so unique.