Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
Criminal Procedure
Indictment & Pleading Issues
Arrest, Search, and Investigation
Criminal Offenses
Drug Offenses
State v. Hernandez, 202 N.C. App. 359 (Feb. 2, 2010)
A murder victim’s statements to her mother were properly admitted under the Rule 803(3) exception for then-existing mental, emotional or physical condition. The victim told her mother that she wanted to leave the defendant because he was wanted in another jurisdiction for attempting to harm the mother of his child; the victim also told her mother that she previously had tried to leave the defendant but that he had stalked and physically attacked her. The statements indicate difficulties in the relationship prior to the murder and are admissible to show the victim’s state of mind.