State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant and Cross-Respondent v. Michele Lloyd Cameron, Defendant-Respondent and…

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and held that the trial court was correct in refusing to give a jury instruction on voluntary intoxication because the evidence did not show the defendant’s faculties were prostrated to the point of negating purposeful or knowing conduct. The Court clarified that under the New Jersey Code, voluntary intoxication is a defense only when it negates an element of the offense and requires a showing of extreme intoxication that renders the defendant incapable of purposeful or knowing conduct.