by Michelle Sparrow | Jun 17, 2011 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
We’re continuing our discussion of a bill in the North Carolina State Senate right now. The measure, House Bill 659, would remove the death penalty as a sentencing option if the defendant can demonstrate that he or she had a severe mental disability at the time... by Michelle Sparrow | Jun 15, 2011 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
Another criminal sentencing bill is making its way through the North Carolina General Assembly. The bill focuses on individuals with severe mental disabilities who plead guilty to or are convicted of first-degree murder. Having passed the House of Representatives... by Michelle Sparrow | Jun 10, 2011 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
Durham police arrested the purported leader of a religious cult this week after finding the remains of a 5-year-old boy buried in the back yard of a house in East Durham. A day earlier, investigators had found a woman’s body there as well. The 27-year-old leader... by Michelle Sparrow | Dec 22, 2010 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
A Wake County judge has found probably cause of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the cases against the teenage children of a man found murdered in his home in October. The 17-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son were originally charged as... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 24, 2010 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
After almost five hours of deliberation, the jury in the Wake County trial came in with a guilty verdict for the teen charged with masterminding a plot to murder a high school acquaintance. We discussed the details of the crime in our September 17 post. The defendant...