Title: State v. Lipfird
Citation: 276 S.E.2d 161
Docket Number: N/A
State: north-carolina
Issuer: north-carolina Supreme Court
Date: March 11, 1981

276 S.E.2d 161 (1981) STATE of North Carolina v. Larry Clinton LIPFIRD. No. 108 PC. Supreme Court of North Carolina. March 11, 1981. Barbara H. Kern, Hickory, for Johnny Lipfird. John D. Ingle, Hickory, for Larry Lipfird. Barry S. McNeill, Associate Atty. Gen., Raleigh, Donald E. Greene, Dist. Atty., Newton, for the State. This cause is before us upon defendant's petition for a writ of certiorari to review the decision of the Court of Appeals reported in 48 N.C.App. 649, 269 S.E.2d 723 (1980). The petition for a writ of certiorari is allowed for the limited purpose of entering this order in the cause: Our review of the record and the Court of Appeals opinion reveals that that court found no error in the following instruction given to the jury after it had begun its deliberations and had returned to the courtroom indicating that it was unable to reach a verdict: *162 This Court held in State v. Easterling, 300 N.C. 594, 268 S.E.2d 800 (1980) that it was error, in violation of G.S. § 15A-1235 (which prescribes the instructions a judge may give when a jury deadlocks), to instruct a deadlocked jury that its inability to agree will result in the inconvenience of having to retry the case. Our decision in Easterling that an instruction in violation of G.S. § 15A-1235 did not mandate a new trial in that case was due to the fact that while the instruction was given after the jury had begun its deliberations, it was given before the jury had returned announcing any deadlock. In Easterling, this Court said: We note that this case was tried in August 1979 and that the decision of the Court of Appeals was filed on 16 September 1980. The Advance Sheets containing the Easterling opinion were published on 10 October 1980. The decision of the Court of Appeals being contrary to State v. Easterling, supra, said decision is reversed and the Court of Appeals is ordered to remand this cause to the Superior Court, Catawba County, for a new trial. This order will be printed in the official reports of decisions of this Court.