State v. Townsend’s Empirical Analysis
1996
Citation profile
24 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 26 later decisions — most recently July 2014 · most notably State v. Ellison (2006), State v. Russell (2001)
24 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on State v. Craig · State v. Epes · State v. Brown · State v. White · State v. Sheppard
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 26 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“Before a defendant can be required to present a defense, the state must establish some proof of the corpus delicti. Moreover, a conviction based on a confession cannot stand unless corroborated by proof aliunde of the corpus delicti. In other words, the state must produce proof of the corpus delicti aside from the defendant’s extra-judicial confession. While evidence of the corpus delicti in a particular case must be established by the best proof attainable, direct evidence is not essential. The corpus delicti may be sufficiently proved by presumptive or circumstantial evidence when that is the best obtainable.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage“In the case before us, the state relied on the following circumstances to prove its case. Townsend was at the scene where his car had been involved in a wreck. He smelled like alcohol, failed field sobriety tests, and appeared to be intoxicated. A breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol level to be .21. This is enough evidence, albeit circumstantial evidence, to submit the case to the jury. Accordingly, the circuit court judge erred in reversing Townsend’s conviction on this ground.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. State v. Abraham“`Hearsay' is a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted.”
1 later decision quote this exact passagee.g. State v. Washington
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.