by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 16, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
We are continuing our discussion of the State Bureau of Investigation inquiry into juror misconduct during the Jason Young trial. Young was convicted of murder last week; a day or two later, the judge received information from Raleigh’s WRAL that several posts... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 14, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
The judge who presided over Jason Young’s murder trial has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to verify information forwarded to the court from a Raleigh television station. The station, WRAL, found posts on its Facebook page that claimed to have received... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 29, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
The retrial of accused killer Jason Young may be near an end. Defense counsel is expected to wrap up tomorrow, and court watchers believe the case could head to the jury on Friday. The trial opened in Raleigh on Feb. 6, eight months after the defendant’s first... by Michelle Sparrow | Jan 31, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
A grand jury handed up an indictment this week under North Carolina’s Unborn Victims of Violence Act, or Ethen’s Law. The law went into effect on Dec. 1, 2011, and the indictment marks the first application of the new statute. The defendant, a 22-year-old... by Michelle Sparrow | Jan 12, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
We are talking about a case that made headlines last week. The story raises questions about the use of deadly force in defense of self or others. Deadly force used against an intruder into a home is justifiable under the “Castle Doctrine,” a legal defense...