State v. Edmondson

Mar 5, 1986
601PA84
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Exum

Lead Opinion

MITCHELL, Justice.

The defendant’s sole contention is that prohibitions in the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution ‍‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‍of North Carolina against placing a person twice in jeopardy prohibited his convictions and punishment, in a single trial, for both felony breaking or entering, N.C.G.S. § 14-54(a), and felonious larceny based upon the same breaking or entering, N.C.G.S. § 14-72(b)(2). ‍‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‍When faced with the identical question in the recent case of State v. Gardner, 315 N.C. 444, 340 S.E. 2d 701 (1986), we specifically held that conviction and punishment for both such offenses in a single trial is not prohibited by ‍‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‍the provisions of either the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of North Carolina. For reasons fully discussed in Gardner, we conclude that the defendant in the present case received a fair trial free of prejudicial ‍‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‍error. The decision of the Court of Appeals is affirmed.

Affirmed.

Justice BILLINGS did not participate in the consideration or decision of this case.



Dissenting Opinion

Justice Exum

dissenting.

For the reasons stated in my dissenting opinion in State v. Gardner, 315 N.C. 444, 340 S.E. 2d ‍‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‍701 (1986), I dissent here from the majority’s resolution of the double jeopardy question.

Justice Frye joins in this dissenting opinion.