Beck v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 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 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “"The defendant must intentionally, as opposed to negligently, accidentally or recklessly or having acted in self-defense, cause the death of the deceased in order to invoke the capital statute.... "It must not have been done in self-defense. To be a capital offense, the murder of an intentional killing type must have been committed during burglary in the first degree.... Therefore, if you are convinced by the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime of murder of the intentional killing type of Jimmy Chance by the means alleged in the indictment, that he did not act in self-defense during a burglary in the first degree or an attempt thereof as previously defined for you then it would be your duty to find the defendant guilty of the capital offense charged in the indictment. On the other hand, if you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime of murder of the intentional killing type by the means alleged in the indictment or if you are not convinced by the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the murder of an intentional killing type was committed during a burglary in the first degree or an attempt thereof, was committed by the defendant or if you find the defendant acted in self-defense, then the defendant cannot be convicted of the capital offense as charged in the indictment."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 621 So. 2d 309 - Clark v. State

2. “"While the investigating officers were conducting their preliminary investigation of the double homicide at the Malone home, Mr. Marlin Bartlett informed them that earlier that afternoon, he had seen appellant's blue pick-up truck parked in front of the Malone home. The officers determined that Bartlett had seen appellant's truck at the murder scene at the time the murders were committed. They drove to appellant's home to question the appellant. Outside appellant's home they observed appellant's blue pick-up truck and saw, in plain view, in the bed of the truck a pair of blood-spattered boots. They also noticed a smoldering trash barrel outside, behind appellant's home. Based on Bartlett's information, their own observations outside appellant's residence, and the reactions of the appellant and his wife when the officers informed them of the nature of the investigation, the officers placed the appellant under their custody."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ex Parte Beck

3. “"As the state explains in brief, the complex portions of the trial court's oral charge were clarified by subsequent oral instructions requested by the appellant and by requested written charges. We have carefully reviewed the entire oral charge, including the supplemental oral instructions, and the requested written charges. When taken as a whole, the instructions to the jury at the close of the guilt-phase trial were adequate and not prejudicial to the appellant. See, Duncan v. State , 436 So.2d 883 , 906 (Ala.Crim.App. 1983); see also, Van Antwerp v. State , 358 So.2d 782 (Ala.Crim.App.), cert. denied, 358 So.2d 791 (Ala. 1978); Harris v. State , 412 So.2d 1278 (Ala.Crim.App. 1982)."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ex Parte Beck