by Michelle Sparrow | Jan 17, 2014 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
When criminal charges are splashed across the evening news, the emphasis tends to be on attention-grabbing details of the allegations, rather than on facts. That was again recently the case when news broke of a Raleigh man’s arrest on suspicions that he stabbed... by Michelle Sparrow | Jan 14, 2014 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
Seventy-five miles west of Raleigh, a North Carolina case went cold decades ago. But a man was recently arrested in the case and charged with murder and sexual assault. Police say he assaulted and killed a 7-year-old girl more than 23 years ago in Greensboro. Some... by Michelle Sparrow | Dec 2, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
She spent nine days in jail for a murder she didn’t commit. But much worse was the possibility that she would spend the rest of her life behind bars for it. Now the woman who was charged with homicide after her boyfriend committed suicide is asking a court for... by Michelle Sparrow | Oct 28, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
A 53-year-old woman was arrested last week and returned to Raleigh from her Georgia home to face a murder charge in a killing that took place almost exactly 12 years ago. The arrested woman was taken into custody by police and charged in the Oct. 24, 2001 beating... by Michelle Sparrow | Oct 12, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt. This is what the prosecution must present in order to convince a jury of a defendant’s guilt. We have all heard this phrase countless times, but it gains real meaning when the defendant’s life and lifelong freedom hang in... by Michelle Sparrow | Oct 11, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act was passed in 2009. It was intended to help defendants combat racial discrimination. Racial discrimination can, of course, be present in many forms. One way it has deeply affected the criminal justice system is in how some...