Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

293 N.C. 262

State v. Sparks

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Decided September 12, 1977

Supreme Court of North Carolina · decided 1977-09-12

Cited by 7 later decisions — most recently August 1986

4 state decisions

Relies on Mullaney v. Wilbur · Hankerson v. North Carolina · State v. Sparks

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1977-09-12

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1ORDER FOR NEW TRIAL UPON REMAND FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

¶2HAVING reconsidered this case on remand from the Supreme Court of the United States in the light of Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684, 44 L.Ed. 2d 508 (1975), and Hankerson v. North Carolina, --- U.S. ---,53 L.Ed. 2d 306 (1977), the defendant having properly raised on appeal to this Court the question of the constitutionality of the trial judge’s instructions placing the burden on the defendant to show that the killing was done in the heat of a sudden passion and that it was done in self-defense, see State v. Sparks, 285 N.C. 631 (1974), and being of the opinion that in light of Mullaneyand Hanker-son, these assignments of error should have been sustained and defendant awarded a new trial, now, therefore, it is

¶3ORDERED by the Court in Conference that defendant be and he is hereby awarded a new trial.

¶4This the 12th day of September, 1977.

James G. Exum, Jr. Associate Justice

¶5For the Court

/293/nc/262 · .json · Public domain