Confirm favorite deletion?
Criminal Law Keyed to Hoffmann
Commonwealth v. Coleman
Facts
Two men attacked Wayland Coleman, Defendant, outside of a nightclub. The fight expanded, and several people joined and threw punches. Defendant escaped from the crowd and went to a car nearby and retrieved a gun from the trunk. Defendant went back to where the fight was taking place. The evidence presented indicates that the victim followed Defendant to the car. Subsequently, Defendant shot the victim in the chest. There is evidence that indicates that Defendant shot the victim twice after the victim fell to the ground. Defendant then fled the scene with three other men in a car. The victim died from injuries, and Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder with deliberate premeditation and the unlawful possession of a firearm. Defendant motioned for the trial court to reduce the murder conviction to a manslaughter conviction. The trial court denied the motion and the later request for reconsideration. Defendant appealed the first-degree murder conviction alleging the Prosecution failed to assert sufficient evidence to support deliberate premeditation.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.