Woman convicted of homicide in baby’s cold case slaying
YORK — A South Carolina jury found a woman guilty of homicide by child abuse in the death of her baby, whose body was found in a river more than 30 years ago, according to prosecutors and records. A weeklong trial concluded late Friday in York County with jurors issuing the verdict against Stacy Michelle […]
Sentenced as a juvenile, SC man gets life behind bars again
CHESTER (AP) A South Carolina man sentenced to life in prison when he was 16 has been sentenced again to life behind bars for the 1988 double homicide. The Associated Press reports 46-year-old Theodore Harrison was sentenced June 15. His case was in court again because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2012 that […]
Criminal Practice – Homicide by Child Abuse – Circumstantial Evidence – Morphine Overdose – Nursing Mother – One Homicide, One Punishment
The state presented sufficient evidence that defendant took many drugs, including morphine, and breastfed the 46-day-old victim, Alexis. The state also presented ample evidence that would permit the jury to logically and reasonably conclude that defendant’s morphine consumption while breastfeeding placed “the child at unreasonable risk of harm, S.C. Code Ann. § 63-5-70(A)(1), and constituted [...]
An inadmissible opinion: Coroner’s testimony on cause of death improper
A Spartanburg County coroner offered improper opinion testimony when testified as a lay witness that a victim’s death was due to homicide, the South Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled. The court vacated a murder conviction handed down in 2014 after prosecutors argued that the defendant had intentionally killed the victim by running him over […]
Cleared of homicide, Conway man sues county, investigator
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — A Conway man who was cleared in a child’s death after spending nearly four years in prison is suing Horry County and the investigator who handled his case. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported that 38-year-old Robert Palmer filed the lawsuit last week, saying the ordeal cost him his job, […]
Criminal Practice – Homicide by Child Abuse – Directed Verdict Motion – Waiver Rule – Defendant’s Testimony
State v. Phillips (Lawyers Weekly No. 010-011-16, 10 pp.) (Kaye Hearn, J.) Appealed from Pickens County Circuit Court (D. Garrison Hill, J.) On writ of certiorari to the Court of Appeals. S.C. S. Ct. Holding: In deciding whether the trial court correctly denied defendant’s motion for a directed verdict, our Court of Appeals should not […]
US marshal in South Dakota kills South Carolina suspect
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A U.S. Marshals Service deputy in South Dakota shot and killed a man who was wanted in a homicide in South Carolina, authorities said. Sioux Falls Police Officer Sam Clemens said authorities received a tip that Lonnie Haskell Powers Jr., 37, of Summerville, South Carolina, was in Sioux Falls, and […]
Criminal Practice — Homicide by Child Abuse – Aiding & Abetting – Directed Verdict Motions
State v. Palmer (Lawyers Weekly No. 010-088-15, 12 pp.) (Costa Pleicones, J.) Appealed from Horry County Circuit Court (Larry Hyman Jr., J.) On writ of certiorari to the Court of Appeals. S.C. S. Ct. Holding: Although the state’s evidence could support a finding that defendant Gorman inflicted the fatal blow to the child victim, as […]
Spartanburg officials: 3 people charged in Chesnee shooting
SPARTANBURG (AP) — Three people have been arrested in the shooting death of a 33-year-old man in Spartanburg County. Multiple media outlets reported Wednesday that Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger told them Eddie Richards was found dead at his home in Chesnee on Monday. Sheriff deputies said 18-year-old David Ronald Boggs has been charged with […]
Judge: Pistorius is guilty of culpable homicide
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — A South African judge on Friday found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and declared him not guilty of murder. Prosecutors said they were disappointed by the ruling but would decide on whether to appeal only after sentencing. Judge Thokozile Masipa said […]
Criminal Practice – Post-Conviction Relief – Suspended Sentence – Homicide by Child Abuse
Richardson v. State (Lawyers Weekly No. 011-030-14, 6 pp.) (John C. Few, C.J.) Appealed from Kershaw County PCR Court (L. Casey Manning, Trial Ct. J.) (G. Thomas Cooper, Jr., PCR J.) S.C. App. Holding: In this appeal from an order granting post-conviction relief (PCR) to Sandra Richardson, we hold a trial court has no power […]
Guns used more in suicides than homicides in SC
Almost two-thirds of all gun deaths in South Carolina in 2011 were suicides, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Business Law
- Economy forces attorneys to get down to business
- Business Court judges trawl for customers
- Va. company's Web site did not subject business to personal jurisdiction in S.C., appeals panel rules
- Former running back from S.C. wins courtroom victory in contract dispute
- Contract – Government Contract – Qui Tam – False Claims Act
- Licenses & Permits – Beer & Wine Permit – Restrictive Covenant – Suitable Location
- Consumer Protection – FCRA – Auto Loan – Bank Accounting Errors
- Licenses & Permits – Veterinarian – Vaccine Maintenance
- Tort – Business Tort – Va. Computer Crimes Act – Trade Secrets
- Textile firm, railroad settle Graniteville train wreck lawsuit
- State regulators look at car dealer accused of lying to customers
- Subprime mortgage meltdown hits securities law
Commentary
- Stericycle decision forces evaluation of policies, practices
- Are workplace DEI policies still legal after SCOTUS decisions?
- Court cases add new twists to legal language
- It’s all business, especially the busyness
- Virginia Tech student got due process in hearing
- High court justices cross the line of propriety
- High court’s term was rough on big business
- The flip side of generative AI in law and how to address it
- The fight for equal educational opportunity continues
- Letter From The Editor – Working from Home
- NLRB joins FTC in taking aim at non-competes
- Supreme Court leaves key internet protection untouched