You are here: / / DEFENDANT WAS CONVICTED OF DIRECTING THE CODEFENDANT TO KILL; THE CODEFENDANT...
,

DEFENDANT WAS CONVICTED OF DIRECTING THE CODEFENDANT TO KILL; THE CODEFENDANT WAS ACQUITTED OF MURDER; THE VERDICTS WERE REPUGNANT; DEFENSE COUNSEL WAS INEFFECTIVE FOR FAILING TO OBJECT TO THE REPUGNANT VERDICTS (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing defendant’s conviction, determined defendant’s attorney was ineffective for failing to object to the repugnant verdict. Defendant was convicted of directing the codefendant to shoot and kill the victim. The codefendant was acquitted of the murder charge:

We agree with defendant … that he was denied meaningful representation at trial inasmuch as there is no reasonable and legitimate trial strategy for defense counsel’s failure to object to the repugnant verdicts  … . …

… “[A] conviction will be reversed [as repugnant] only in those instances where acquittal on one crime as charged to the jury is conclusive as to a necessary element of the other crime as charged, for which the guilty verdict was rendered” … . “The determination as to the repugnancy of the verdict is made solely on the basis of the trial court’s charge and not on the correctness of those instructions” … . The repugnancy doctrine also applies when one codefendant is convicted of a crime while another is acquitted of the same crime … . …

By acquitting the codefendant, the jury negated an essential element of the crime for which defendant was charged, i.e., that the codefendant committed the offense at defendant’s direction … . People v Jennings, 2021 NY Slip Op 00944, Fourth Dept 2-11-21

 

You might also like
INADEQUATE WAIVER OF RIGHT TO COUNSEL REQUIRED REVERSAL; PRESERVATION OF THIS ISSUE NOT NECESSARY.
DEFENSE COUNSEL INEFFECTIVE FOR FAILING TO OBJECT TO PROSECUTOR’S EXAGGERATING THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF DNA EVIDENCE.
SHANE, A CO-DEFENDANT WITH HIS PARENTS WITH WHOM HE LIVED, WAS NOT DISQUALIFIED FROM ACCEPTING SERVICE ON BEHALF OF HIS PARENTS DUE TO A CONFLICT OF INTEREST; THE ACTION AGAINST THE PARENTS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN VACATED BASED ON A LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION (FOURTH DEPT).
ASKING DEFENDANT WHY HE WAS NERVOUS AND WHETHER HE WAS CARRYING DRUGS DEEMED INVASIVE QUESTIONING, SUPPRESSION GRANTED.
“Rare Case” Where Facts Supported Both Depraved Indifference and Intentional Murder
Even If Initial Frisk of Defendant Was Unlawful, the Defendant’s Pushing the Officer and Running Away Justified the Defendant’s Arrest (for Harassment of the Officer) and Seizure of Drugs
NUISANCE AND TRESPASS ACTIONS BASED UPON SURFACE WATER WERE NOT CONTINUING TORTS AND WERE THEREFORE TIME-BARRED, CRITERIA FOR CONTINUING TORTS IN THIS CONTEXT EXPLAINED (FOURTH DEPT).
THE PROPONENT OF A MISSING WITNESS CHARGE MUST FIRST DEMONSTRATE THE TESTIMONY OF THE MISSING WITNESS WOULD NOT MERELY BE CUMULATIVE (FOURTH DEPT).

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2025 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

AN OFFICER MAY FOLLOW A SUSPECT IN A POLICE VEHICLE; THE OFFICER DID NOT GET... A CORPORATION OPERATING A SKILLED NURSING FACILITY MAY BRING A PLENARY ACTION...