112 Conn. App. 787 - State v. Riggsbee’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

18 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 18 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Under ... § 53a-54a(a), the state must prove that the defendant acted with the specific intent to cause the death of the victim. ... Intent is a mental process which ordinarily can be proven only by circumstantial evidence. An intent to cause death may be inferred from circumstantial evidence such as the type of weapon used, the manner in which it was used, the type of wound inflicted and the events leading to and immediately following the death. ... The use of inferences based on circumstantial evidence is necessary because direct evidence of the accused's state of mind is rarely available. ... "Whether a criminal defendant possessed the specific intent to kill is a question for the trier of fact. ... This court will not disturb the trier's determination if, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 171 Conn. App. 486 - State v. Ames