A research reference for North Carolina judges and lawyers who handle capital cases, this 300-page book is designed to help them understand statutes and case law affecting the trial and sentencing of defendants charged with first-degree murder when the state seeks the death penalty. Although its primary focus is the sentencing process, it also discusses selected pretrial and trial issues that commonly arise in first-degree capital murder trials.The third edition updates and builds on previous editions and includes: -Summaries of appellate cases rendered through the end of 2012-Relevant statutory law that has also been updated-More analysis and discussion than previous versions-New chapter on the Racial Justice Act-Index of cases cited and a subject indexFree PDF downloads of the table of contents and preface are available (https: //www.sog.unc.edu/publications/books/north-carolina-capital-case-law-handbook-third-edition-2013).