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N.C. Supreme Court: Hiring and Paying a Hit Man Not Overt Act Necessary for Attempted Murder Charge
Loaded on March 15, 2019
by Douglas Ankney
published in Criminal Legal News
April, 2019, page 15
Filed under:
Sentencing.
Location:
North Carolina.
by Douglas Ankney
The Supreme Court of North Carolina ruled that hiring an undercover officer posing as a hit man to kill another person does not satisfy the element of committing “an overt act” toward completion of the offense of attempted murder.
On February 3, …
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More from this issue:
- News In Brief
- When Prosecuting Crimes by Police, Feds Appear to Move Slowly, by Edward Lyon
- Can Criminal Records Ever Truly Be Expunged in the Internet Era?, by Matthew Clarke
- Third Circuit: Pennsylvania’s SORNA Requirements Sufficiently Restrictive to Constitute Custody for Habeas Jurisdiction, by Douglas Ankney
- Nebraska’s Death Row Prisoners Must Bring ‘Repeal Challenges’ Individually, by Douglas Ankney
- San Francisco Embraces New Technology to Clear Pot Convictions
- Wisconsin Considers Updating Its Cash Bail System, by Kevin Bliss
- Birth Pangs of Bail Reform Come to Texas, by Edward Lyon
- Indiana Supreme Court Announces Trial Court Must Resentence on All Underlying Felonies After Gang Enhancement Sentence Reversed on Appeal, by Derek Gilna
- $8.4 Million Combined Settlement Reached by ‘Norfolk Four’, by Douglas Ankney
- Eleventh Circuit Rules DEA’s Definition of Positional Isomer Does Not Apply to Substances on Temporary Schedule, Vacates Possession Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- Shooting of Seven-Year-Old Girl in Houston Highlights Problems With Eyewitness Identification, by Matthew Clarke
- Georgia Supreme Court Announces Defendant May Invoke Rape Shield Statute to Bar State From Offering Evidence of Victim’s Past Sexual Behavior, by Douglas Ankney
- Kentucky Supreme Court Holds State Statute Defining Intellectual Disability as IQ of 70 or Lower Unconstitutional, Death Row Prisoner Entitled to Hearing, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Supreme Court Clarifies PCR ‘Church Motion’ Practice, by Mark Wilson
- Death Penalty Usage Trending Downward, Report Reveals, by Betty Nelander
- Tennessee Supreme Court: Attempting to Secretly Videotape Teen Changing Clothes Does Not Support Conviction for Attempted Production of Child Pornography, by Douglas Ankney
- Georgia Supreme Court Holds Statute Authorizing Lifetime GPS Monitoring of ‘Sexually Dangerous Predator’ Is Unconstitutional, by Douglas Ankney
- Erie County Convicted 11 People of Violating a Law Ruled Unconstitutional Over 20 Years Ago by Federal Court, by Kevin Bliss
- Video Simulators Part of Push to Train Police to Shoot Fewer Dogs, Limit Lawsuits, by Derek Gilna
- FBI Reviewing Four Incidents of Excessive Force at Mesa, Arizona, PD in Just Four Months, by Dale Chappell
- Law Enforcement and Lobbyists Battle Over Need for Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform, by Kevin Bliss
- First Circuit: Sentencing Courts May Consider New Career Offender Guideline Amendment 798, Even Though Not Retroactive, by Dale Chappell
- Nevada Supreme Court Clarifies, Narrows Nonhearsay Rule Under NRS 51.135(2), by Dale Chappell
- North Dakota Supreme Court Announces Implied Consent Advisory Must be Read After Arrest and Before Administering Test, by Douglas Ankney
- Counsel Ineffective for Failing to Move for Mistrial When Court Coerces Unanimous Verdict, by Douglas Ankney
- Fourth Circuit Rules 3 Marijuana Stems Discovered in Single Trash Pull Insufficient for Search Warrant, Suppresses Evidence Found in Residence, by David Reutter
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity Claim in Malicious Prosecution Suit for Wrongful Arrest and Conviction Involving Multiple Lies by Police, by Dale Chappell
- Seventh Circuit: Claim for Unlawful Pretrial Detention Accrues on Date of Release, by Douglas Ankney
- Connecticut Supreme Court Announces Defense Counsel Has Duty to ‘Promptly’ Notify Defendant of Plea Offer, Failure to Notify Before Testifying Constitutes IAC, by Matthew Clarke
- In Landmark Civil Asset Forfeiture Case, U.S. Supreme Court Holds Excessive Fines Clause of Eighth Amendment Applicable to States, by Douglas Ankney
- Ninth Circuit Holds Juror Who Wouldn’t Unequivocally State She Could Be Impartial Should Have Been Excused; New Trial Ordered Because Biased Juror Can’t Be Harmless Error, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit Grants Habeas Relief for Death Row Prisoner Because Trial Court Excluded Expert Testimony Defendant Represents Low Risk of Violence in Prison, by David Reutter
- Supreme Court of Alaska Announces Court System Bears Costs of Expert Evaluation When Insanity or Diminished Capacity Raised as Defense, by Chad Marks
- Arkansas Supreme Court: Search of Wallet Exceeded Scope of Lawful ‘Terry’ Frisk for Weapons, by Douglas Ankney
- California Police Privacy Laws Have Been Violating Brady for Years, by Mark Wilson
- New Jersey Supreme Court: Detention of Motel Room Occupants After Reason for Police Visit Resolved Is Unlawful Seizure, Evidence Subject to Exclusionary Rule, by Richard Resch
- N.C. Supreme Court: Hiring and Paying a Hit Man Not Overt Act Necessary for Attempted Murder Charge, by Douglas Ankney
- NYPD’s Controversial Use of Mugshot Database Searches, by Matthew Clarke
- Conversations With Those Helped by Passage of First Step Act: Provides Relief for Some Federal Prisoners, but More Is Needed, by Chad Marks
- Appeals court provides new vehicle to challenge registration, by Larry N.
- The FBI Says Its Photo Analysis Is Scientific Evidence. Scientists Disagree., by Ryan Gabrielson
More from Douglas Ankney:
- The Trial Penalty: How America Abandoned the Right to Trial, Nov. 15, 2025
- Third Circuit Upholds Award of $265,000 to Prisoner Who Was Sexually Assaulted Twice by the Same Guard, Aug. 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Announces When Initial § 2255 Petition Not Decided on Merits and Appeals Court Later Recalls Mandate Dismissing Direct Appeal and Affirms Conviction, Subsequent § 2255 Petition Not ‘Second or Successive’ Under AEDPA, Aug. 1, 2025
- $340,000 for Former Massachusetts Prisoner Whose Baby Was Stillborn, July 15, 2025
- New Jersey Supreme Court Refuses Guard’s Challenge to Firing for Failing to Report Kiss with Prisoner, July 15, 2025
- New York City Loses Bid to Withhold Jail Records, July 15, 2025
- Eleventh Circuit Announces New Deliberate Indifference Framework in Dismissing Georgia Prisoner’s Claim for Skipped Anti-Seizure Meds, July 15, 2025
- Washington Jail Settles DOJ Allegations of ADA Noncompliance in Failure to Treat Opioid Use Disorder, July 15, 2025
- Ohio Supreme Court Says Sheriff Must Get and Disclose Records of Private Contractors, July 15, 2025
- Third Circuit Rejects U.S. Sentencing Commission Amended Compassionate Release Policy, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Texas Juvenile Detention, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Sentencing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Protect (Juveniles), Juvenile Prisons.
- Georgia Moves to Shield Intellectually Disabled Prisoners from Execution, June 1, 2025. Sentencing, Death Penalty.
- Fourth Circuit: District Court Failed to Provide Sufficient Explanation for Sentence Imposed and Did Not Address Defendant’s Arguments for Downward Variant Sentence, May 15, 2025. Sentencing, Drug Laws/Offenses.
- Fourth Circuit: Procedurally Unreasonable Sentence Where District Court Failed to Address Defendant’s Non-Frivolous Downward Variance Argument Based on Sentencing Disparity Due to Which State’s Statute Prior Conviction Based Upon, May 15, 2025. Sentencing, Failure To Consider Disparity, Federal-State Differences/Disparity/Conflicts, Disparity in Charging/Sentencing Practices.
- SCOTUS Announces Only ‘False’ Statements Made to FDIC Are Criminalized Under 18 U.S.C. § 1014, Not Statements That Are ‘Misleading’ but True, May 15, 2025. Sentencing, False Statements/Perjury.
- Wisconsin Supreme Court: Jail Time Must Be Credited When Charge Causing Jailing Read in At Sentencing, Jan. 1, 2024. Sentencing, Good Time, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Credits.
- Changing Perception, Changing The Law, April 15, 2020. Sentencing, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
- Seventh Circuit: Trial Judge Violated 5th Amendment by Modifying Instructions to Allow Jury to Convict on Offenses Not Charged in Indictment, April 15, 2020. Sentencing.
- SCOTUS: ‘Serious Drug Offense’ Under ACCA Is Self-Defining, Match with Equivalent Federal Offense Not Required, April 15, 2020. Sentencing.
- Illinois Prisoner Locked Up Decades Without a Conviction or Sentence, April 1, 2020. Criminal Prosecution, Sentencing.





