Workman v. Bell’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

19 federal appellate · 1 district · 3 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 32 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “There is little controversy concerning the material facts. The murder for which defendant stands convicted occurred shortly after 10:00 p.m. on August 5, 1981. Defendant entered Wendy’s restaurant on Thomas Street in Memphis, Tennessee, just before closing time. He purchased food at the counter and dawdled over it until the restaurant closed. The defendant then, at gunpoint, herded the employees and a customer of the restaurant into the manager’s office, where he told the manager to put the day’s receipts (around $1,170.00) into a bag. Defendant took an employee’s car keys, ordered everyone to remain in the office, locked the door and left. During the robbery, the defendant informed the employees that he had an accomplice, not as “cool” as he was, who would shoot if any employee disregarded defendant’s orders. Unknown to the defendant, an employee had tripped the restaurant’s silent alarm. Lt. Ronald Oliver of the Memphis Police Department met the defendant, just as the defendant was leaving the restaurant. Just what occurred at that time is not clear in the record. There is testimony, however, that Lt. Oliver and the defendant left the restaurant together. Thereafter, the defendant broke away from Lt. Oliver and ran. When defendant did not stop at Lt. Oliver’s command, Lt. Oliver and Officer Aubrey Stoddard grabbed the defendant. The defendant broke free of the officers, shot Lt. Oliver in the chest and Officer Stoddard in the arm, fired a second shot at Stoddard, and fled t”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. State v. Workman

2. “we have no doubt that the exit wound would have been larger than the entry wound,”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Philip R. Workman v. Ricky Bell, Warden

3. “Even Dr. Sperry does not theorize that Lt. Oliver was killed with buckshot.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Philip R. Workman v. Ricky Bell, Warden