Justia North Carolina Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

A jury found defendant Mario Phillips guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. The jury also found defendant guilty of first-degree kidnapping, attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, robbery with a firearm, and first-degree arson. Following a capital sentencing hearing, the jury recommended a sentence of death for each murder conviction. Defendant appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that (1) the trial court erred in regard to several pretrial matters such as denying defendant's motion to suppress and denying him effective assistance of counsel; (2) the trial court erred in regard to several matters during the trial such as admitting certain testimony and not intervening during the state's closing argument; (3) the trial court erred in regard to certain sentencing proceeding matters such as failing to intervene during the state's closing argument; and (4) the trial court erred in regard to several preservation issues. The Supreme Court overruled each assignment of error. The Court concluded that the defendant received a fair trial and capital sentencing proceeding and that the death sentence imposed by the trial court was not disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases. No error.View "State v. Phillips" on Justia Law

Defendant Benzion Biber was indicted for felonious possession of cocaine. Prior to trial defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence. The trial court denied the motion. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial court's ruling on his suppression motion was erroneous in that the officers lacked probable cause to arrest him for constructive possession of the powdery substance found in his motel room and thus evidence of the crack rocks for which defendant was convicted should be excluded as the fruit of an unlawful seizure. The court of appeals reversed. At issue was whether the trial court was correct in implicitly concluding that the officers had probable cause to arrest defendant for possession of a controlled substance. The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the appellate court, holding (1) the trial court's findings of fact supported probable cause to arrest defendant for possession of a controlled substance, and (2) the appellate court majority utilized an incorrect evidentiary standard to determine probable cause.View "State v. Biber" on Justia Law