Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
Criminal Procedure
Indictment & Pleading Issues
Arrest, Search, and Investigation
Criminal Offenses
Drug Offenses
State v. Ford, 245 N.C. App. 510 (Feb. 16, 2016)
In this voluntary manslaughter case, where the defendant’s pit bull attacked and killed the victim, the trial court did not commit plain error by allowing a pathologist to opine that the victim’s death was due to dog bites. The court rejected the defendant’s argument that the expert was in no better position than the jurors to speculate as to the source of the victim’s puncture wounds.