State v. Fierro
Arizona Supreme Court
603 P.2d 74 (1979)

- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
David Madrid Fierro (defendant) shot Victor Corella once in the chest and four times in the head. Following the shooting, Corella was taken to the hospital, where his gunshot wounds were treated. An examination revealed that Corella had suffered brain death. Corella was maintained on life-support systems for three days until the doctor was able to confirm the occurrence of brain death, after which point supportive measures were terminated and Corella was formally pronounced dead. Both the doctor who treated Corella and the medical examiner who performed his autopsy testified that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Fierro was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Fierro appealed, arguing that the termination of life-support systems three days after Corella had suffered brain death was the cause of Corella’s death and, therefore, there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cameron, C.J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 814,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.