State v. Adams’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 federal appellate · 17 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 22 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “1) Forced entry into the house through the rear door with the use of a tire tool (or jack handle). 2) A piece of tablecloth was torn from the dining room table and used to hold a sock in the victim’s mouth. 3) Venetian blind cord, removed from the house, was used to bind his feet once he had been forced into the wooded area behind the house. 4) The strangulation was caused by placing a stick in the tablecloth (pulled down around his neck) and tightening it in the fashion of a tourniquet. 5) A butcher knife was missing from the victim’s home and there was a deep cut above one of his ears consistent with a blow from such a knife. James Jeter was a key state’s witness. His testimony may be abbreviated as follows: The defendant (Adams) rode a bicycle into Jeter’s backyard where he was raking leaves. Adams had a tire tool, a gun and a pair of gloves in his possession. Adams told Jeter he was going to break into the house next door to steal money. After entering the house, Adams attempted to solicit Jeter’s aid in removing a safe he had allegedly found there. Jet-er refused. Adams then stated he would await Bryan’s return home from school to get the combination. Jeter spoke with Bryan in Bryan’s front yard when he returned home a few minutes later. He did not warn Bryan that Adams was inside because he was afraid. A short time later, Jeter saw Adams lead Bryan into the woods with something white tied around Bryan’s neck. He appeared to be resisting Adams. A search for Bryan was con”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Adams v. Aiken

2. “[Y]ou may recommend a life sentence without finding the existence of an alleged statutory mitigating circumstance and you, as I have told you before, may recommend the imposition of the life sentence even should you find beyond a reasonable doubt the existence of an alleged statutory aggravating circumstance. In other words, you may in your good judgment, recommend a life sentence for any reason at all that you see fit to consider.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Adams v. Aiken

3. “On October 17, 1979, at approximately 3:00 p.m., Bryan Chambers, a sixteen year old with a slight learning disability, was taken from his home and strangled to death in a wooded area directly behind the house. Shortly thereafter, Bryan’s mother received a phone call. The only words she could make out were “boy ... place ... money_””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Adams v. Aiken