Then you should have seen my reply.
Steve, the two go together. It's a standard legal formula, i.e.,
death or serious bodily injury, but only within appropriate context.
If the blow was deemed unjustified (for example, you just walked up to someone and clocked him),
and he died or suffered serious bodily injury, you'd be charged as if your intent were death or serious bodily injury, but that standard doesn't apply in the context of force used in self-defense, i.e., such as when you are cornered and struck by an aggressor. In that case, you apply the standards appropriate for self-defense against an unarmed attacker, i.e., you are justified in the application of force sufficient to neutralize further aggression, but short of that degree of force reasonably considered to be calculated to bring about serious injury or death. But in the context of actions in self-defense, it doesn't matter what degree of injury your actions actually cause. All that matters in that context is reasonable intent, i.e., would a reasonable person believe that your actions in self-defense were calculated to bring about serious injury or death (e.g., put the aggressor in the critical care ward or the graveyard). A singular punch to the face would not meet that standard in the context of an action carried out in self-defense, even if the result was death or serious bodily injury.
Different standards apply depending on justification, i.e., whether one is in the right or in the wrong.
