What is the effect of the trial court's instructions on the law in a second degree murder case?

Any harm was cured by the trial court's correct instructions on the law, both with regard to second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter based on imperfect self-defense or defense of another. "When argument runs counter to instructions given a jury, we will ordinarily conclude that the jury followed the latter and disregarded the former, for '[w]e presume that jurors treat the court's instructions as a statement of the law by a judge, and the prosecutor's comments as words spoken by an advocate in an attempt to persuade.' [Citation.]" (People v. Osband (1996) 13 Cal.4th 622, 717.) Here, the jury

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was expressly admonished to follow the court's instructions if they conflicted with the attorneys' statements. (See People v. Boyette, supra, 29 Cal.4th at p. 436.)²¹