What Is AWDWIKISI in North Carolina?

With no prior record, the presumptive minimum is 58 to 73 months. One narrow exception, called extraordinary mitigation, exists, but it is up to the judge.

Charged with AWDWIKISI in Guilford County? Call (336) 379-0539 today, before you explain anything to police, because bond and the first look at the evidence happen early.

What AWDWIKISI Stands For, Letter by Letter

AWDWIKISI packs a whole felony charge into nine letters. Each part names something the State must prove.

AWDW means assault with a deadly weapon. IK means with intent to kill, and ISI means inflicting serious injury.

Put together, the letters name the most serious charge in G.S. 14-32, the North Carolina law on felony assault with a deadly weapon. Take away any one of those four parts and the charge is no longer AWDWIKISI.

Two other spellings show up in searches. AWDWWITKISI spells out “with intent to kill” and points to the same Class C charge.

AWDWIK leaves off the injury. It means assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, a Class E felony under G.S. 14-32(c).

The AWDWIKISI Statute and What the State Must Prove

For AWDWIKISI, four elements have to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and intent to kill is the one that sets this charge apart.

“Any person who assaults another person with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicts serious injury shall be punished as a Class C felon.” G.S. 14-32(a)

North Carolina’s pattern jury instructions break that sentence into four parts. The jury hears each one before it decides.

An assault: The State must show the act was intentional and done without justification or excuse. Self-defense goes straight to this element.

A deadly weapon: Under the pattern instruction, that means an object “likely to cause death or serious bodily injury.” Whether an object qualifies turns on what it is, the way it was used and the size and strength of each person.

Specific intent to kill: The State must prove you meant to kill, not only to hurt. That intent can form without premeditation, so it is argued from facts like the weapon, the wounds and what was said.

Serious injury: Courts define it as an injury that causes “great pain and suffering.” No hospital stay is required, and whether an injury is serious is usually a question for the jury.

Every element is a place where the case can be tested. See what our assault defense lawyers do first after a felony assault arrest.

What Happens to the Charge if One Element Is Missing

If the State proves three elements but not the fourth, the case can step down to a lesser charge. The intent and injury elements decide most of these steps.

Without intent to kill, the charge is assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, a Class E felony. Without serious injury, it becomes AWDWIK, also Class E.

At Level I, Class E carries a presumptive minimum of 20 to 25 months, compared with 58 to 73 for Class C. The Class E chart also allows intermediate punishment, which is probation, at Levels I and II only.

That one missing element is often the difference between Class C and Class E. Showing that one element is missing is the work of your defense lawyer, depending on the facts of your case.

AWDWIKISI Penalties and Jail Time in NC

AWDWIKISI is punished on the Class C row of the felony grid in G.S. 15A-1340.17, and every cell on that row calls for active prison time.

Your prior record level comes from points under G.S. 15A-1340.14. The judge then sets a minimum term from the presumptive, mitigated or aggravated range.

Prior Record Level	Points	Presumptive Minimum (Months)	Mitigated Minimum (Months)	Aggravated Minimum (Months)
Level I	0 to 1	58 to 73	44 to 58	73 to 92
Level II	2 to 5	67 to 83	50 to 67	83 to 104
Level III	6 to 9	77 to 96	58 to 77	96 to 120
Level IV	10 to 13	88 to 110	66 to 88	110 to 138
Level V	14 to 17	101 to 127	76 to 101	127 to 159
Level VI	18 or more	117 to 146	87 to 117	146 to 182

The maximum term follows the minimum. A 58-month minimum carries an 82-month maximum, and a 73-month minimum carries a 100-month maximum.

The chart authorizes only active time on the Class C row. One narrow exception exists under G.S. 15A-1340.13(g): a judge may impose an intermediate punishment on written findings of extraordinary mitigation.

Those factors must substantially outweigh any aggravation and make active time a manifest injustice. The factors must be “significantly greater than in the normal case,” and the decision is in the judge’s discretion.

Building toward it is your lawyer’s work from day one.

See how the felony sentencing chart works and when a judge can deviate from it.

You may also hear about a 72-month firearm or deadly weapon add-on in section 15A-1340.16A. That add-on is excluded when the weapon evidence is needed to prove an element, and your lawyer checks how the indictment is written.

A conviction also means losing your gun rights after a felony under G.S. 14-415.1.

No conviction expunction path exists for AWDWIKISI under G.S. 15A-145.5. It leaves out Class A through G felonies and any offense with assault as an element.

First Steps in a Guilford County AWDWIKISI Case

An AWDWIKISI case starts in District Court and moves to Superior Court, where a Class C felony is tried under G.S. 7A-271. The first weeks are when the intent and injury evidence takes shape.

A magistrate sets release conditions after the arrest. A lawyer can start asking a judge to lower a bond right away.

In this charge, a probable cause hearing can be the first time witnesses describe the injury and what was said, under oath. The State can skip it by indicting first, so your lawyer asks for it early under G.S. 15A-606.

If one is held, learn how a probable cause hearing tests evidence. Once a grand jury returns an indictment under G.S. 15A-641, plea talks and any trial on the Class C charge happen in Superior Court.

Read what happens when a grand jury indicts you on a felony.

Bond, the hearing request and any mitigation work all start in the first days. See every criminal charge we defend in Guilford County.

Defenses to an AWDWIKISI Charge

The main defenses attack one element at a time. Each one can change the charge or the result, depending on the facts of your case.

1Self-Defense or Defense of Others

Under G.S. 14-51.3, deadly force is justified when you reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to yourself or another. When the evidence supports self-defense, the judge must instruct the jury on it.

Earlier threats can matter too. Under G.S. 14-33.1, threats the other person made and you heard about before the fight can be used to show your fear was reasonable.

2No Intent to Kill

The State must prove you meant to kill, not just that someone was hurt. If that proof fails, the charge can drop to the Class E charge under G.S. 14-32(b).

3The Object Was Not a Deadly Weapon as Used

Many objects are deadly only because of how they are used. Your lawyer can argue that the object, the way it was used and the size of each person point away from a deadly weapon.

That argument can lead to a lesser assault charge instead of a felony under G.S. 14-32.

4The Injury Was Not Serious

Medical records, photos and recovery time decide this element. If the injury was not serious, the charge can become AWDWIK, a Class E felony under G.S. 14-32(c).

5Weak or Conflicting Evidence

The State must prove who did it and every element beyond a reasonable doubt. Conflicting witness accounts, missing video or unclear injuries can create that doubt.

Any of these outcomes depends on the facts of your case and on the work your lawyer does early. If the State says you meant to kill someone, call a Greensboro assault defense lawyer before you explain anything.

Worried about what the State will say you intended? Call (336) 379-0539 before your next court date.

Frequently Asked Questions

This article explains North Carolina law in general terms. It is not legal advice about your case, and laws, penalties and court procedures change. Contact an attorney about your specific situation.