37 So. 3d 212 - Turner v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

14 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 14 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “... Turner had been sentenced to jail in Newberry County, South Carolina, for a violation of probation stemming from a felony battery charge. While incarcerated at that location he was primarily assigned to perform various duties at the local sheriffs office and was given special privileges because he was considered trustworthy.... Despite being scheduled to be released from the facility at the end of 2005, on September 28, 2005, Turner escaped from the New-berry County Jail in a stolen Newberry County Office Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). The SUV was discovered by local employees in the parking lot of a business located in St. Johns County, Florida the next day. Local law enforcement officials found Turner’s identification card and multiple rocks of crack cocaine in the stolen vehicle. On September 30, 2005, two hotel guests saw Turner lurking around the Comfort Inn located in St. Augustine. ... That morning, Renee Howard, her four children ages eighteen, fourteen, two, and ten months, Howard’s eight-month-old granddaughter, and Stacia Raybon occupied room 210 of the motel.... Raybon testified that early that morning ... the defendant passed them, “almost pushing [them] off the sidewalk.” Shortly thereafter, Howard drove her son to work and daughter to school, taking two of the other three children with her.... Howard returned to the motel and Raybon was on the way downstairs to assist Howard in gathering the children when she noticed Turner outside room 210. Howard, Raybon, ”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 143 So. 3d 408 - James Daniel Turner v. State of Florida

2. “Two of Turner’s stepdaughters testified that he was a good stepfather. The grandmother of his stepchildren corroborated that he was a good stepfather. Turner’s brother testified that the defendant began drinking with his uncles at a very young age and also helped them deal drugs. The defense presented expert testimony with regard to the effect of crack cocaine use on the brain. An expert testified that Turner entered a drug rehabilitation facility in 1994 and, while undergoing treatment, attempted to commit suicide. During cross-examination, the expert admitted that Turner’s cocaine use influenced his actions on the day of the murder, but did not necessarily cause those actions. He further was of the view that at the time of the murder, assuming Turner had gone at least twelve hours without crack cocaine, he would have been either depressed and subdued or anxious and hypervigilant. Finally, a psychologist testified that although he did not find that Turner suffered from significant brain damage, he found many cognitive defects. He testified that Turner’s biggest deficits involved decision making, judgment, planning, and impulse control. On cross-examination, the psychologist conceded that Turner clearly understood that the killing of Renee Howard was wrong. .... At the Spencer hearing, Turner presented two witnesses. A mitigation specialist and a psychotherapist testified that Turner had a history of abandonment by his mother, became substance dependent at a very young age an”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 143 So. 3d 408 - James Daniel Turner v. State of Florida

3. “(1) Turner’s ability to form loving relationships (some weight); (2) Turner’s family problems and mental suffering (little weight); (3) Turner’s uncles gave him drugs when he was young (some weight); (4) Turner’s cognitive development was impaired due to substance abuse (some weight); (5) Turner’s chronic alcohol and drug problem (moderate weight); (6) at the time of the murder, Turner was under the influence of crack cocaine (some weight); (7) Turner was a hard worker and skilled carpenter (little weight); (8) prior to escaping, Turner was a good worker in South Carolina (slight weight); and (9) Turner’s appropriate courtroom behavior (some weight).”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 143 So. 3d 408 - James Daniel Turner v. State of Florida