WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A judge has rejected the "stand your ground" defense of a Florida man who said he beat an iguana to death only after it attacked him, biting him on the arm.

PJ Nilaja Patterson, 43, must stand trial on a felony animal cruelty charge, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Dana Gillen ruled recently in denying the unusual defense, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.

The "stand your ground" law allows a person who is under attack and reasonably fears death or great bodily harm to use deadly force, even if they could retreat to safety. It has been used in several...