183 N.C. App. 631 - State v. Bowman’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 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 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““‘Circumstantial evidence may withstand a motion to dismiss and support a conviction even when the evidence does not rule out every hypothesis of innocence.’” State v. Fritsch, 351 N.C. 373, 379 , 526 S.E.2d 451, 455 (quoting State v. Barnes, 334 N.C. 67, 75 , 430 S.E.2d 914, 919 (1993)), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 890 , 148 L. Ed. 2d 150 (2000). When the evidence presented amounts to circumstantial evidence, “the court must consider whether a reasonable inference of defendant’s guilt may be drawn from the circumstances.” Id. “Once the court decides that a reasonable inference of defendant’s guilt may be drawn from the circumstances, then ‘ “it is for the jury to decide whether the facts, taken singularly or in combination, satisfy [it] beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is actually guilty.” ’ ” Id. (emphasis in original).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 208 N.C. App. 506 - State v. Hunter

2. “In determining the sufficiency of the evidence to withstand a motion to dismiss and to be submitted to the jury, the trial court must determine whether there is substantial evidence (1) of each essential element of the offense charged, or of a lesser offense included therein, and (2) of defendant’s being the perpetrator of such offense. Substantial evidence is such relevant evidence as is necessary to persuade a rational juror to accept a conclusion. The trial court must review the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, giving the State the benefit of every reasonable inference to be drawn therefrom.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 201 N.C. App. 233 - State v. Stitt