State v. Hedgepeth’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

50 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 50 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Whether a serious injury has been inflicted depends upon the facts of each case and is generally for the jury to decide under appropriate instructions. A jury may consider such pertinent factors as hospitalization, pain, loss of blood, and time lost at work in determining whether an injury is serious. Evidence that the victim was hospitalized, however, is not necessary for proof of serious injury.”

   9 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 180 N.C. App. 188 - State v. Brunson · 167 N.C. App. 372 - State v. Stimpson

2. “I now charge you that for you to find the defendant guilty of first degree murder, the State must prove five things beyond a reasonable doubt as follows: First, that the defendant intentionally and with malice killed Ronald M. Seiger, Jr., with a deadly weapon. Malice means not only hatred, ill will or spite as it is ordinarily understood—to be sure that is malice—but it also means the condition of mind which prompts a person to take the life of another intentionally or to intentionally inflict serious bodily harm which proximately results in his death without just cause, excuse or justification. If the State proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant killed Ronald Seiger with a deadly weapon or intentionally inflicted a wound upon him with a deadly weapon that proximately caused his death, you may infer, first, that the killing was unlawful and, second, that it was done with malice, but you are not compelled to do so. You may consider this along with all other facts and circumstances in determining whether the killing was unlawful and whether it was done with malice. (Emphasis added.) I instruct you that a sawed-off shotgun is a deadly weapon.”

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

3. “Now, members of the jury, where evidence is offered that tends to show that the victim's death was accidental, and you find that the killing was in fact accidental, the defendant would not be guilty of any crime, even though his acts were responsible for the victim's death. A killing is accidental if it is unintentional, occurs during the course of lawful conduct, and does not involve culpable negligence. A killing cannot be premeditated or intentional or culpably negligent if it was the result of an accident. When the defendant asserts that the victim's death was the result of an accident, he is in effect denying the existence of those facts which the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict him. Therefore, the burden is on the State to prove those essential facts, and in so doing, disprove the defendant's assertion of accidental death. The State must satisfy you beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim's death was not accidental before you may return a verdict of guilty of any crime.”

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