"The use of excessive or unlawful force while acting in self-defense is not justifiable." Willerson v. State , 312 Ga. 369, 372 (1), 863 S.E.2d 50 (2021) (citation and punctuation omitted). As an initial matter, the jury was authorized to reject Whittaker's claim that Hankins was the initial aggressor given the evidence about their relationship and his bullying of Hankins.
But "[d]eadly force is not justified if the degree of force used by the defendant exceeds that which a reasonable person would believe necessary to defend against the victim’s unlawful actions." Willerson v. State, 312 Ga. 369, 372 (1), 863 S.E.2d 50 (2021). The reasonableness of one’s belief that deadly force was necessary in any given situation is a determination left exclusively to the jury.