by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 18, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
The North Carolina General Assembly will once again grapple with issues surrounding the Innocence Inquiry Commission when the session starts in May. Prosecutors told a House judiciary subcommittee last week that they wanted concessions beyond what they agreed to in... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 10, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Drunk Driving
Certain wake-up calls aren’t what you want to experience, while others prompt you to change your life. That was the case for a North Carolina woman. Last February the woman was charged with DWI and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. It was a cold... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 7, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
The Racial Justice Act, saved from repeal by Gov. Bev Perdue last December, faces its first real-life test this week. The law allows death row inmates to use statistics to prove that racial bias was a significant factor at trial, in sentencing or in denial of an... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 4, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Drunk Driving
The day of the Super Bowl is one of the biggest drinking days of the year, and that means the roads in and around Raleigh will be dotted with sobriety checkpoints. Neighborhoods will see more patrol cars around, too. The objective is to get as many drunk drivers off... 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...