Four people facing several violent crime charges in North Carolina have had their cases continued. They are all charged with murder after the death of a local college student. If a conviction is obtained, three may receive the death penalty. The other individual accused of the violent crime is a minor, and he could face up to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, if convicted.
All are facing huge stakes in these proceedings, making it even more important to ensure that their legal rights are fully protected. The four are facing murder, robbery, burglary and conspiracy charges, all connected to the death of the student. One of the accused also had a misdemeanor warrant, said to be unrelated to these pending violent crime allegations.
No bail has been set for the three adult defendants. The lone juvenile was being held in the absence of a $2 million bond. All of their cases will be heard by a grand jury. Details surrounding exactly what is alleged to have happened have not been divulged, but there is little question that each accused individual must necessarily mount a vigorous criminal defense.
A violent crime charge in North Carolina is typically vigorously prosecuted. Nevertheless, the government has the sole burden of proving each element of the crimes charged against each person accused. If the prosecution fails to meet its burden of proof with regard to one of those charged, that individual cannot be convicted. A conviction can only be secured if a prosecutor is able to convince a court that the crimes charged have been documented by a measure of proof known as beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: wwaytv3.com, “Cases continued, headed to grand jury in Proutey murder,” Holden Kurwicki, Jan. 10, 2013
