State v. Parker’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

18 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. “[T]he evidence offered by accused as to the commission of the crime by another person must be limited to such facts as are inconsistent with his own guilt, and to such facts as raise a reasonable inference or presumption as to his own innocence; evidence which can have (no) other effect than to cast a bare suspicion upon another, or to raise a conjectural inference as to the commission of the crime by another, is not admissible.... But before such testimony can be received, there must be such proof of connection with it, such a train of facts or circumstances, as tends clearly to point out such other person as the guilty party. Remote acts, disconnected and outside the crime itself, cannot be separately proved for such a purpose. An orderly and unbiased judicial inquiry as to the guilt or innocence of a defendant on trial does not contemplate that such defendant be permitted, by way of defense, to indulge in conjectural inferences that some other person might have committed the offense for which he is on trial, or by fanciful analogy to say to the jury that someone other than he is more probably guilty.”

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Gay · State v. Cooper

2. “The evidence of [Victim’s] involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into prison did not suggest any connection between the smuggling and [Victim’s] death. At best, this evidence established that someone else may have had a motive to kill [Victim]. Motive is not a requirement of the State’s case. Therefore, any evidence indicating that others had a reason to kill [Victim] would not exculpate Southerland. Evidence of the conspiracy to smuggle drugs into prison concerned only a remote act disconnected with the murder. We find that the trial judge exercised sound discretion in excluding this evidence.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Mansfield