Opinion ID: 1248962
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Defendant contends that the short-form murder indictment was insufficient to charge him with first-degree murder as it did not allege that the murder was committed either in the course of a felony or with premeditation and deliberation. Thus, defendant argues, use of the short-form murder indictment for first-degree murder violates defendant's rights under the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 19 and 23 of the North Carolina Constitution. Furthermore, defendant contends that such use of the short-form murder indictment directly contravenes two recent United States Supreme Court cases. See Jones v. United States, 526 U.S. 227, 119 S.Ct. 1215, 143 L.Ed.2d 311 (1999); Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 118 S.Ct. 1219, 140 L.Ed.2d 350 (1998). As defendant concedes, however, this Court has previously ruled against defendant's position on this issue. See, e.g., State v. Mitchell, 353 N.C. 309, 543 S.E.2d 830, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 122 S.Ct. 475, 151 L.Ed.2d 389 (2001); State v. Holman, 353 N.C. 174, 540 S.E.2d 18 (2000), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 122 S.Ct. 250, 151 L.Ed.2d 181 (2001); State v. Golphin, 352 N.C. 364, 533 S.E.2d 168 (2000), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 931, 121 S.Ct. 1380, 149 L.Ed.2d 305 (2001); State v. Braxton, 352 N.C. 158, 531 S.E.2d 428 (2000), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1130, 121 S.Ct. 890, 148 L.Ed.2d 797 (2001). Defendant has presented no compelling reason why this Court should reexamine this issue, and we therefore overrule this assignment of error.