State v. Bass

At the outset of this appeal counsel for the accused, conceding for sake of argument that the defendant’s confession was voluntary, contends that “a naked extra-judicial confession uncorroborated by independent evidence and proof of corpus delicti, is insufficient to sustain a conviction of the crime charged.” In other words, the defendant contends the case should have been nonsuited because, even if the confession were admissible, there was not, as a matter of law, sufficient evidence aliunde the confession to carry the case to the jury. G.S. 15-173.

In Wharton’s Criminal Evidence (12th Ed.),…