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 index Free 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).