NC Criminal Law

Joseph L. Hyde on Friday, December 5th, 2025

Elizabeth Holmes, who was convicted in 2022 for defrauding investors and is now serving time in federal prison, claimed this week that a key piece of evidence against her was a “false claim,” per this story from the N&O. Holmes founded the blood-testing startup Theranos in 2003. At trial, evidence showed that Holmes, without authorization, affixed drug companies’ logos to internal Theranos reports...

#NCPROTIP
Displaying 1 - 5 of 60

The state must give the defendant, at the beginning of jury selection, a written list of the names of all witnesses whom the state reasonably expects to call during the trial.

A judge may accept an Alford plea, in which a defendant pleads guilty but does not admit committing the offense and protests his or her innocence, if the record strongly supports the defendant’s guilt and the defendant intelligently concludes that it is in his or her interest to enter such a plea. The consent of the prosecutor is not required. 

Venue is proper in the entire district of the alleged offense, not just the particular county where the offense allegedly occurred. See G.S. 15A-131(b). Probable cause hearings are an exception and must be held in the county where the offense occurred. See G.S. 15a-131(c).

Whichever county is the first to bring charges against the defendant has exclusive venue. See G.S. 15A-132. But if the county with exclusive venue dismisses the charges, another county with concurrent venue may initiate its own charges and obtain venue.

A trial judge may permit any party to introduce additional evidence at any time before verdict. See G.S. 15A-1226(b).