This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on September 17, 2025. Trial court erred by conducting summary criminal contempt proceedings when the defendant’s conduct constituted indirect criminal contempt. State v. Brinkley, No.…

Several criminal statutes include the provision that a person who commits the offense prescribed is guilty of a designated class of offense “unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater punishment.” E.g., G.S. 14-33(c). Two…

Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” pled guilty on Wednesday to selling Matthew Perry the drugs that resulted in his death, as reported by the AP and ABC news. Perry was found dead at his home in Los Angeles, California,…

My colleagues have been blogging about some of the changes to our criminal law wrought by recent legislation. Session Law 2025-70 also amends G.S. 15A-1415, which governs the grounds that a defendant may assert by motion for appropriate relief (MAR),…

The Alamo announced last week that it’s got Pee-wee’s stolen red bicycle, as foretold in the 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” But the bike is not in the basement. The AP reports that the iconic bicycle will serve as a…

After State v. Singleton, 386 N.C. 183 (2024), an indictment is not rendered facially invalid by failure to allege all the elements of a crime. One issue that remains unresolved is the consequence of failure to allege the State’s theory.…

This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on July 2, 2025. Smell of marijuana justified a warrantless search of the juvenile’s vehicle. In the Matter of: J.B.P., No. COA23-269 (N.C. Ct. App.…

A new Administration of Justice Bulletin on Double Jeopardy in North Carolina is now available. I previously posted about double jeopardy here (When is Double Jeopardy a Rule of Evidence?) and here (Kidnapping by Pursuit), and this bulletin expands on…

The defendant in State v. Meadows, No. COA24-149 (N.C. Ct. App. May 7, 2025), was convicted of murder based on evidence that he and two other men broke into the victim’s home and shot the victim to death. Despite evidence…

The top story this week is that Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton has been charged with DUI, per this story from the UPI and AP. Retton, 57, became the first American woman to win the all-around gymnastics title at…