Suppression Should Have Been Granted—People Failed to Meet Their Burden of Going Forward at Suppression Hearing
The Fourth Department ruled that suppression of tangible evidence and statements should have been granted because the People failed to meet their burden of going forward at the suppression hearing by demonstrating the legality of the police conduct. The Fourth Department further determined that the error was not harmless with respect to all but one of the charges:
We agree with defendant, however, that County Court erred in denying that part of his omnibus motion seeking suppression of the physical evidence that was seized from his vehicle and the statements he made to New York State Police Investigators, inasmuch as the People failed to meet their “burden of going forward to show the legality of the police conduct in the first instance” … . * * *
Because the People failed to present evidence at the suppression hearing establishing the legality of the police conduct, defendant’s purported consent to the search of his vehicle was involuntary and all evidence seized from the vehicle as a result of that consent should have been suppressed … .Additionally, defendant’s statements to the police must be suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree.. . People v Purdy, KA 12-00534, 488, 4th Dept, 5-3-13