411 So. 2d 866 - Scott v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

16 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 19 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “(h) The capital felony was cruel. A picture is worth a thousand words and all one must do to justify this aggravating circumstance is to view the color photographs of the interior of the house where the homicide occurred and conclude with the body of the victim with his hands and feet tied. This is not one or two blows which resulted in instantaneous or near instantaneous death. The struggle between the assailants and the victim moved from room to room; blood is everywhere. The doctor testified the victim was still alive when his hands and feet were bound. There remained no reason to pursue the beating to accomplish the thefts. The subsequent blows to the head were fatal and the entire episode can only reflect there being imposed upon the victim a high degree of pain with little indifference to, or even the enjoyment of the suffering of the victim. It was pitiless and totally unnecessary to achieve the theft of the property.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 46 So. 3d 529 - Scott v. State · 634 So. 2d 1062 - Scott v. Dugger

2. “[t]here was a long bloody chase throughout the house, the victim was badly beaten, his hands and feet were tied while he was still alive, and he was struck on the head six times with a blunt instrument”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 715 So. 2d 346 - Wysocki v. State · 774 So. 2d 649 - Beasley v. State

3. “Alessi picked up Scott and Kondian. At approximately 11 p.m. they arrived at Alessi's father's home where the victim borrowed his father's station wagon and obtained a patio umbrella from his father. They then drove off in the victim's car and in his father's car. The patio umbrella was later found in the victim's backyard. The next morning the victim's nude body, which was covered with blood, was discovered in his home. His hands and feet were tightly bound with electrical cord and telephone wire. He had been brutally beaten about his head, chest, and arms. He had sustained six blows to the head with a blunt instrument, one of which was so severe that it had caused a compressed fracture of the skull. The head injuries were the cause of his death. There were many signs of a violent struggle by the victim in his attempt to get away from his assailants. Throughout the house were broken articles and bloodstains on the walls, furniture, curtains, and floors. Scott's fingerprints were found on various items throughout the victim's home, including the neck of a broken vase and the bloodstained knife on the sofa which apparently had been used to cut the electrical cords used to tie the victim.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 634 So. 2d 1062 - Scott v. Dugger