NC Criminal Law

Shea Denning on Friday, September 11th, 2026

The jury in the Lindsay Clancy case was in its seventh day of deliberations when we posted last week’s News Roundup. Later that day, the trial judge declared a mistrial; jurors had reported on three occasions that they were unable to reach a verdict. The prosecutor said there would not be an immediate decision about whether to retry 36-year-old Clancy for killing her three young children. The AP...

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Language in an indictment or other criminal pleading that is unnecessary (“surplusage”) does not prohibit the state from proving theories or facts of the charged crime that are different from those alleged in the indictment.

If a case is transferred to another district for prosecution, the prosecutor of the originating district must continue to prosecute the case, unless the prosecutor of the receiving district consents to the prosecution. See G.S. 15A-133(d).

The court is not bound by the rules of evidence (except for rules on privilege) when deciding whether challenged evidence is admissible.

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).

Venue to try an accessory after the fact is proper in any county where the principal could be prosecuted or in the county where the defendant committed acts that form the basis of the charge of accessory after the fact.