You are here: / REPUGNANT VERDICTS

Tag Archive for: REPUGNANT VERDICTS

Defendant’s Conviction Properly Reversed Because the Verdict Was Inconsistent/Repugnant—Charge Which Was the Subject of Conviction in the Inconsistent/Repugnant Verdict Can Be Presented to a New Grand Jury

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Read, determined that defendant’s conviction was properly reversed because the verdict was inconsistent/repugnant, but that the People should be allowed to resubmit that charge to a new grand jury. Defendant was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime, but the jury acquitted defendant of manslaughter in the first degree.  Because, to aquit, the jury must have found that at least one of the elements of manslaughter in the first degree was not proven, the manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime necessarily suffered from the same failure of proof.  The People argued that the jury instructions gave the jurors the impression they could acquit on the non-hate-crime manslaughter and still find the defendant guilty of the hate-crime manslaughter:

The rationale for the repugnancy doctrine is that the defendant cannot be convicted when the jury actually finds, via a legally inconsistent split verdict, that the defendant did not commit an essential element of the crime … . Given that premise, “a verdict is repugnant only if it is legally impossible — under all conceivable circumstances — for the jury to have convicted the defendant on one count but not the other,” and, “[i]f there is a possible theory under which a split verdict could be legally permissible, it cannot be repugnant, regardless of whether that theory has evidentiary support in a particular case” … .

Accordingly, repugnancy does not depend on the evidence presented at trial or the record of the jury’s deliberative process, and “[t]he instructions to the jury will be examined only to determine whether the jury, as instructed, must have reached an inherently self-contradictory verdict” … . In making these determinations, it is inappropriate for the reviewing court to “attempt to divine the jury’s collective mental process” … . “Jurors are allowed to compromise, make mistakes, be confused or even extend mercy when rendering their verdicts” … . * * *

There is no constitutional or statutory provision that mandates dismissal for a repugnancy error. Given that New York’s repugnancy jurisprudence already affords defendants greater protection than required under the Federal Constitution, permitting a retrial on the repugnant charge upon which the jury convicted, but not on the charge of which the jury actually acquitted defendant, strikes a reasonable balance. This is particularly so given that a reviewing court can never know the reason for the repugnancy. Accordingly, the People may resubmit the crime of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime to a new grand jury … . People v DeLee, 2014 NY Slip Op 08212, CtApp 11-24-14

 

Nature of a Repugnant Verdict Explained—Here the Verdict Convicting Defendant of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Acquitting Defendant of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance Was Not Repugnant—The Proof at Trial Plays No Part in the Repugnancy Analysis

The Third Department determined County Court should not have determined a verdict was repugnant and sent the jury back for further deliberations.  The Third Department vacated the defendant's conviction on the relevant count.  In the course of the decision the Third Department explained the nature of a repugnant verdict, noting that the proof at trial plays no part in the analysis:

Contrary to defendant's assertion, the jury's initial verdict — convicting him of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and acquitting him of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree — was not repugnant. “[A]; verdict as to a particular count shall be set aside [as repugnant]; only when it is inherently inconsistent when viewed in light of the elements of each crime as charged to the jury” … . In assessing a repugnancy claim, “we must review the elements of the offenses as charged to the jury without regard to the proof that was actually presented at trial. Thus, [i];f there is a possible theory under which a split verdict could be legally permissible, it cannot be repugnant, regardless of whether that theory has evidentiary support. . . . In this context, the apparently illogical nature of the verdict — as opposed to its impossibility — is viewed as a mistake, compromise or the exercise of mercy by the jury, none of which undermine[s]; a verdict as a matter of law” … .

Here, upon reviewing the elements of the subject offenses, it is readily apparent that the jury's verdict was not repugnant. Criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree requires proof that the defendant knowingly and unlawfully sold a narcotic drug (see Penal Law § 220.39 [1]), whereas criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree requires only, insofar as is relevant here, that the defendant knowingly and unlawfully possessed a narcotic drug with intent to sell it (see Penal Law § 220.16 [1]). Notably, a “[d];efendant's acquittal on the [sale count]; does not negate the elements of the [possession count], for a person can possess and intend to sell a narcotic drug, but not actually accomplish a sale” … . Defendant's argument to the contrary is predicated upon the specific proof adduced at trial, which — the Court of Appeals has instructed — is to play no role in our analysis of a repugnancy claim … . As the jury's initial verdict was not repugnant, County Court should have denied defendant's motion, accepted the jury's verdict and adjourned the matter for sentencing. Instead, County Court implicitly granted defendant's motion, devised a special verdict sheet and directed the jury to resume deliberations. People v Kramer, 2014 NY Slip Op 04085, 3rd Dept 6-5-14

 

,

A Factually Inconsistent Verdict Did Not Render the Evidence Insufficient to Support the Conviction

In a full-fledged opinion by Judge Lippman (over a dissent), the Court of Appeals determined a factual inconsistency in a jury verdict acquitting a defendant of one count and convicting him of another did not render the record evidence insufficient to support the conviction.  The defendant was charged with insurance fraud and arson.  The prosecution’s theory was the defendant burned a building down to recover the insurance proceeds.  The jury convicted the defendant of insurance fraud and acquitted him of arson.  In explaining the difference between a factually inconsistent verdict and a verdict not supported by legally sufficient evidence, the Court of Appeals wrote:

A verdict is factually inconsistent where, in light of the evidence presented, an acquittal on one count is factually irreconcilable with a conviction on another count … .  Factual inconsistency “which can be attributed to mistake, confusion, compromise or mercy – does not provide a reviewing court with the power to overturn a verdict” … .  If a jury renders a factually inconsistent verdict, the trial court “can point out the apparent inconsistency to the jurors, issue further appropriate instructions and ask them to continue deliberations. But a failure to take such action would not be an abuse of discretion as a matter of law” … .

In contrast, a conviction not supported by legally sufficient evidence should be overturned.  A conviction is legally insufficient where, viewing the record in the light most favorable to the prosecution, there is no “valid line of reasoning and permissible inferences from which a rational jury could have found the elements of the crime proved beyond a reasonable doubt” … .

Factual inconsistency and legal insufficiency are analytically distinct.  One may inform the other – i.e., in some instances, a reviewing court may consider a jury’s acquittal on one count in reviewing the record to determine if a factually inconsistent conviction on another count is supported by legally sufficient evidence … . But it does not follow that such factual inconsistency in the verdict renders the record evidence legally insufficient to support the conviction.  Put another way, an acquittal is not a preclusive finding of any fact, in the same trial, that could have underlain the jury’s determination.

Therefore, even assuming, as submitted by the defendant, that the jury’s verdict in this case presented a factual inconsistency, it does not affect the propriety of his conviction. People v Abraham, 192, CtApp 11-26-13

 

Repugnant Verdict Required Reversal

The Fourth Department, over a dissent, reversed defendant’s conviction of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime as inconsistent with defendant’s acquittal of manslaughter in the first degree (without the hate crime element).  The Fourth Department wrote:

“A verdict is inconsistent or repugnant . . . where the defendant is convicted of an offense containing an essential element that the jury has found the defendant did not commit” … .  “A verdict shall be set aside as repugnant only when it is inherently inconsistent when viewed in light of the elements of each crime as charged to the jury” …, “without regard to the accuracy of those instructions” … .  “The underlying purpose of this rule is to ensure that an individual is not convicted of ‘a crime on which the jury has actually found that the defendant did not commit an essential element, whether it be one element or all’ ” ….

By acquitting defendant of manslaughter in the first degree, the jury necessarily found that the People failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt at least one element of manslaughter in the first degree.  To find defendant guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime, however, the jury must have found that the People proved beyond a reasonable doubt all of the elements of manslaughter in the first degree, plus the added element that defendant selected the victim due to his sexual orientation.  It therefore follows that the verdict is inconsistent.  People v DeLee, 419, 4th Dept 7-19-13

 

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 © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy