State v. Sellars, 363 N.C. 112 (Mar. 20, 2009)

The court affirmed a ruling of the North Carolina Court of Appeals finding no error in the defendant’s trial and sentence. However, it rejected the implication in the court of appeals’ opinion that a jury’s determination that a defendant is not insane resolves the presence or absence of the statutory aggravating factor, G.S. 15A-1340.16(d)(8) (knowingly creating great risk of death to more than one person by weapon normally hazardous to lives of more than one person). Nor does a jury’s finding that a defendant is not insane automatically render any Blakely error concerning this aggravating factor harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the court examined the evidence and determined that the trial judge’s finding of the aggravating factor was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.