by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 28, 2011 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
In the shadow of an execution that became an international cause, a three-judge panel in North Carolina found two inmates innocent of a crime they had been imprisoned for 10 years ago. They had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2000 but maintained their... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 23, 2011 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
The 1970 case of Jeffrey MacDonald and the murders of his family garnered national attention, perhaps because they came close on the heels of the Manson Family murders. MacDonald, an Army doctor stationed in North Carolina, is serving three life sentences right now... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 19, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
In North Carolina, it is a crime to strike an emergency room nurse or doctor. Depending on the harm inflicted, an offender can be charged with misdemeanor or felony assault. While it makes sense to arrest someone who intentionally attacks a nurse for criminal... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 16, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
We are close to wrapping up our discussion of how jails and prisons are dealing with the mentally ill. Anyone involved with the criminal justice system — either defense or prosecution — is aware that the number of inmates with mental illness has increased... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 15, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
North Carolina recognized long ago that jail and prison inmates often suffer from mental illness. The Department of Correction had dedicated mental health facilities long before the Reagan Administration shut down state hospitals across the country. That...