Legal Opinion
State v. Mata
Arizona Supreme Court
Decided March 11, 1980No. 4104PublishedCited by 112 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
GORDON, Justice:
Defendant Luis Morine Mata appeals from a conviction and sentence of death for first degree murder. Having jurisdiction pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-4031, we affirm.
In the early morning hours of March 11, 1977, police found the body of Debra Lee Lopez at the side of a road in West Phoenix. The twenty-one year old woman had died as the result of her throat being severed through to the spine. The defendant and his brother Alonzo Mata were arrested and charged with first degree murder.
Testimony at trial revealed the following account of the events leading up to the victim’s death.…
2Cases cited38 opinions
- Chapman v. CaliforniaSupreme Court of the United States · 1967
- Coolidge v. New HampshireSupreme Court of the United States · 1971
- Bruton v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1968
- Gregg v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- Furman v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 1972
33 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by112 opinions
- State v. BibleArizona Supreme Court · 1993
- State v. GretzlerArizona Supreme Court · 1983
- State v. GilliesArizona Supreme Court · 1983
- State v. ClarkArizona Supreme Court · 1980
- State v. FisherArizona Supreme Court · 1984
107 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.