State v. Ward

WHICHARD, Justice.

Defendant was tried capitally on an indictment charging him with the first-degree murder of Dorothy Mae Smith. The jury returned a verdict finding defendant guilty of first-degree murder upon the theories of premeditation and deliberation, lying in wait, and felony murder. Following a sentencing proceeding pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 15A-2000, the jury recommended that defendant be sentenced to death.

The jury also found defendant guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The trial court sentenced defendant to…