401 Pa. Super. 591 - Commonwealth v. Lee’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

28 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 28 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Pursuant to our Crimes Code, “a person is guilty of criminal homicide if he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently causes the death of another human being.” 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2501(a). “A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the first degree when it is committed by an intentional killing.” 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2502(a). An intentional killing is defined as “[kjilling by means of poison, or by lying in wait, or by any other kinds of willful, deliberate and premeditated killing.” 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2501(d). In order to convict a defendant of murder of the first degree, the Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that (1) the defendant has killed another (2) willfully, deliberate ly and with premeditation (otherwise referred to as with malice), and (S) without lawful justification.[ 3 ]”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 424 Pa. Super. 1 - Commonwealth v. Myers

2. “[ t]he decision whether to call a witness is a matter of trial strategy. Id., 497 Pa. at 487 , 442 A.2d at 227 . “[Strategic choices made after thorough investigation of law and facts relevant to plausible options are virtually unchallengeable, and strategic choices made after less than complete investigation are reasonable precisely to the extent that reasonable professional judgments support the limitations on investigation.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690-691 , 104 S.Ct. at 2068 , 80 L.Ed.2d at 695 .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 419 Pa. Super. 1 - Commonwealth v. Harper