Ex Parte Thompson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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. “The State’s evidence at trial showed that [Thompson] and Sammy Butler acted together in planning [an] armed robbery at the 7-Evenings Food Store. [Thompson] told Butler that this would be their last robbery and it was going to be “a big one.” [Thompson], armed with a .25 caliber semiautomatic weapon, went into the convenience store to exchange a beer he had purchased earlier. Butler, armed with a .38 caliber revolver, came into the store with him. [Thompson] approached Mubarakali Meredia, who was tending the counter, pointed his pistol at Mr. Meredia, and told him to open the cash register and hand over all of the money. [Thompson] shot Mr. Meredia in the abdomen when he did not move quickly enough. He shot at Mr. Meredia’s cousin, Mansor Bhai Rahim Mohammed, who also worked at the shop, when he began running toward the back of the store. 1 [Thompson] then shot Mr. Meredia three more times as he lay on the floor. He ordered Mr. Meredia to get up and get the money for him. Mr. Meredia did so. Then [Thompson] put his pistol to Mr. Meredia’s neck and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He had run out of bullets. So [Thompson] hit Mr. Meredia on the head with the butt of his gun and struck him with the cash register drawer. Nonetheless, Mr. Meredia survived. [Thompson] took the money and ran out of the store. Butler grabbed a stack of lottery tickets as he followed behind [Thompson], [Thompson] jumped into the driver’s seat of their car, while Butler got into the passenger’s se”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 629 F. Supp. 2d 665 - Thompson v. Quarterman

2. “Special Issue No. 1 Do you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a probability that the defendant, Robert Lee Thompson, would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society? Special Issue No. 2 Do you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert Lee Thompson, the defendant himself, actually caused the death of Mansoor Bhai Rahim Mohammed, on the occasion in question, or if he did not actually cause the death of Mansoor Bhai Rahim Mohammed, that he intended to kill Mansoor Bhai Rahim Mohammed or another or that he anticipated that a human life would be taken? Special Issue No. S Do you find from the evidence, taking into consideration all of the evidence, including the circumstances of the offense, the defendant’s character and background, and the personal moral culpability of the defendant, Robert Lee Thompson, that there is a sufficient mitigating circumstance or circumstances to warrant that a sentence of life imprisonment rather than a death sentence be imposed?”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 629 F. Supp. 2d 665 - Thompson v. Quarterman

3. “there might well have been a very serious downside had applicant offered any evidence of lack of intent or had he engaged in any cross-examination that might raise an issue concerning his lack of intent to kill. Once applicant opens the door to the issue of murderous in tent, the State would presumably walk right through that door with the evidence of the two extraneous capital murders that applicant himself committed to prove that he had a murderous intent on this occasion just as he had on those two other occasions When judging an attorney’s conduct in retrospect, we cannot assume that only his conduct might have been different. We must assume that, as in a chess game, if a defendant hypothesizes a different strategy or move by his pawn or queen, the State would have altered its strategy and made a different move with its chess pieces as well. In this case, applicant’s case at the guilt phase might have been considerably worsened had he attempted to raise an issue concerning his intent to kill.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 629 F. Supp. 2d 665 - Thompson v. Quarterman