PEOPLE DID NOT DISPROVE THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE IN THIS NONJURY ASSAULT TRIAL, EXERCISING ITS FACTUAL REVIEW POWER THE APPELLATE COURT REVERSED DEFENDANT’S CONVICTION (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department, reversing defendant’s assault and criminal possession of a weapon convictions, determined that the People did not disprove the justification defense in this nonjury trial:
At sentencing, County Court stated that it rejected defendant’s justification defense because it found that defense to be inconsistent with the multiple wounds on the victim’s face, neck and body. However, “independently assess[ing] all of the proof” and considering the correctness of the court’s factual determinations in the role of a second factfinder, as we must, we do not agree that these injuries are inconsistent with defendant’s assertion that he had to swing the knife repeatedly to defend himself, as the victim continued to attack and punch him … . More significantly, the severity of the victim’s injuries does not provide the missing proof that defendant could have retreated with complete safety before he used deadly physical force or even during the knife fight, when he and the victim both testified that the victim continued to throw punches. It was the People’s burden to prove “to the same degree as any element of the crime charged” that defendant’s actions were not justified … . Exercising our factual review power and viewing the evidence in a neutral light, we find that the People did not do so … . People v Hernandez, 2018 NY Slip Op 07196, Second Dept 10-24-18
CRIMINAL LAW (PEOPLE DID NOT DISPROVE THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE IN THIS NONJURY ASSAULT TRIAL, EXERCISING ITS FACTUAL REVIEW POWER THE APPELLATE COURT REVERSED DEFENDANT’S CONVICTION (THIRD DEPT))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, JUSTIFICATION, PEOPLE DID NOT DISPROVE THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE IN THIS NONJURY ASSAULT TRIAL, EXERCISING ITS FACTUAL REVIEW POWER THE APPELLATE COURT REVERSED DEFENDANT’S CONVICTION (THIRD DEPT))/JUSTIFICATION (CRIMINAL LAW, EOPLE DID NOT DISPROVE THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE IN THIS NONJURY ASSAULT TRIAL, EXERCISING ITS FACTUAL REVIEW POWER THE APPELLATE COURT REVERSED DEFENDANT’S CONVICTION (THIRD DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, NONJURY TRIAL, PEOPLE DID NOT DISPROVE THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE IN THIS NONJURY ASSAULT TRIAL, EXERCISING ITS FACTUAL REVIEW POWER THE APPELLATE COURT REVERSED DEFENDANT’S CONVICTION (THIRD DEPT))