Meyers v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

23 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 23 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Shortly after the robbery, Sheriff Roberts found the Mustang near a dirt road. It had been "hot-wired" and was still running. Inside he discovered blood on the floorboard and on the gearshift. He also found a cigar box which had come from inside the safe at the drugstore, and parts of the instruction sheets from some of the drugs which were taken in the robbery. In addition the sheriff found a knife on the floor of the Mustang which had blood on it. Laboratory analysis showed that the blood was type O, the same type as the blood on the floor and gearshift of the car. Meyers, 626 S.W.2d at 780 (emphasis added). And finally the testimony of Sheriff Roberts was that he discovered some items taken from the drugstore in the Mustang. ****** Furthermore, although the testimony of Sheriff Roberts established the presence of items from the drugstore in the Mustang, there was no testimony, other than that of the accomplice, to link the appellant with the robbery.”

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

2. ““Circumstances proved by credible witnesses may be as potent as direct testimony in tending to connect the accused with the commission of the offense. The State is not called upon to point to some single or isolated fact which in itself, unrelated to other proven facts, will be sufficient corroboration. It is the combined and cumulative weight of the evidence furnished by non-accomplice witnesses which supply the test. If by this rule it appears on appeal that before the jury there was proof confirming the testimony of the accomplice to material facts tending to connect the accused with the commission of the offense, the law is satisfied.” (Emphasis added.)”

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

3. “Although this testimony placed the appellant near the drugstore shortly before the time of the offense, as noted above mere presence of the accused in the company of the accomplice shortly before or after the time of the offense is not, in itself, sufficient corroboration of the testimony of the accomplice. Furthermore, although the testimony of Sheriff Roberts established the presence of items from the drugstore in the Mustang, there was no testimony, other than that of the accomplice, to link the appellant to the robbery.”

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