by Michelle Sparrow | May 12, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
A documentary about police interview procedures garnered new interest recently. The defendant in the case at the film’s center heard last month that his murder conviction was upheld by an appellate court. The case was not in North Carolina, but the subject of... by Michelle Sparrow | May 10, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
The Durham Superior Court judge who presided over a six-day hearing in December has issued his written order for a new trial in the Michael Peterson case. Peterson is now free on bond after eight years in prison. He was convicted of murder in a 2003 trial that... by Michelle Sparrow | May 5, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
We are talking about forensic evidence and just how reliable it is. In Raleigh and every other city in the country, just a tiny piece of forensic evidence can lead to or clear criminal charges. The term “forensic evidence” carries a good deal of weight,... by Michelle Sparrow | May 3, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
For all of the problems with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation crime lab, we have seen only a few comments about the accuracy of the lab’s work. We have talked about evidence withheld from defense counsel and reports altered to favor the...