Man Accused of Beating, Torturing Iguana Will Stand Trial Despite Using 'Stand Your Ground' Defense On 6/2/21 at 2:03 PM EDT A Florida man is standing trial on a felony animal cruelty charge for beating an iguana to death because it bit him on the arm, after a judge rejected his "stand your ground" defense. PJ Nilaja Patterson, 43, said the iguana attacked him, biting him on the arm, and had used deadly force in retaliation. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffery Dana Gillen recently denied the unusual defense in a ruling, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. Patterson's public defender, Frank Vasconcelos, wrote the iguana was the aggressor when it "leaned forward with its mouth wide open and showing its sharp teeth, in a threatening manner" before attacking Patterson. In retaliation, Patterson "kicked the iguana as far as he could," according to Vasconcelos.