Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
About
This compendium includes significant criminal cases by the U.S. Supreme Court & N.C. appellate courts, Nov. 2008 – Present. Selected 4th Circuit cases also are included.
Jessica Smith prepared case summaries Nov. 2008-June 4, 2019; later summaries are prepared by other School staff.
Instructions
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In this Chatham County case, defendant appealed his convictions for first-degree forcible rape, first-degree kidnapping, sexual battery, and assault of a female, arguing the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion for a mistrial. The Court of Appeals found no error.
In...
At the defendant’s trial for drug charges, a witness who purchased drugs from the defendant testified for the State. After the witness testified, the trial court expressed concern that the witness appeared to be impaired by drugs or alcohol. The court ordered the witness’s probation officer to...
The trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that a four-year-old child sexual assault victim was competent to testify. The child was 2½ years old at the time the incident occurred. At trial, the child was non-responsive to some questions and gave contradictory responses to others...
The trial court did not abuse its discretion by finding an elderly victim to be competent. The witness correctly testified to his full name and birth date and where he lived. He was able to correctly identify family members, the defendant, and his own signature. He understood that he was at the...