Conner 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. “Sudden heat occurs when a defendant is provoked by anger, rage, resentment, or terror, to a degree sufficient to obscure the reason of an ordinary person, prevent deliberation and premeditation, and render the defendant incapable of cool reflection.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Vaughn Whitt v. State of Indiana · Racxon Cruze McDowell v. State of Indiana

2. “[29] Alternatively, Whitt argues that even if the killing was knowing or intentional, it was done in sudden heat and therefore he should have been convicted of only voluntary manslaughter. A person who knowingly or intentionally kills another human being while acting under sudden heat commits voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony. Ind. Code § 35-42-1-3 . The existence of sudden heat is a mitigating factor that reduces what otherwise would be murder to voluntary manslaughter. Id.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Vaughn Whitt v. State of Indiana

3. “Sudden heat excludes malice, and neither mere words nor anger, without more, provide sufficient provocation.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Racxon Cruze McDowell v. State of Indiana