People v. Carbonaro

234 N.E.2d 433, 21 N.Y.2d 271, 287 N.Y.S.2d 385, 1967 N.Y. LEXIS 980
CourtNew York Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 29, 1967
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 234 N.E.2d 433 (People v. Carbonaro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Carbonaro, 234 N.E.2d 433, 21 N.Y.2d 271, 287 N.Y.S.2d 385, 1967 N.Y. LEXIS 980 (N.Y. 1967).

Opinions

Breitel, J.

Defendant Dominic Carbonaro appeals from a judgment of conviction for murder in the first degree (felony murder), and other felonies, after a jury trial in County Court, Nassau County. The conviction is predicated upon the participation by defendant in the armed robbery of a jewelry store in Manhasset during which one of the proprietors of the store was shot to death by defendant’s confederate. Originally on his appeal to this court, decision was withheld and the case remanded to the County Court for a post-trial confession hearing pursuant to People v. Huntley (15 N Y 2d 72) on the voluntariness of two statements given by defendant and admitted into evidence at the trial (People v. Sher and Carbonaro, 15 N Y 2d 798). After a hearing, the court held in an opinion that the statements were given voluntarily (48 Misc 2d 115).

On this appeal, defendant’s only contention is that the voluntariness of his confessions was not established beyond a reasonable doubt, particularly in view of the hearing court’s findings that there was an unnecessary delay in defendant’s arraign[274]*274ment and that the police, prior to his confessions, refused to allow him to telephone his family. No other challenge is made to the jury’s finding of guilt. At trial, two eyewitnesses testified that defendant participated in the robbery and defendant himself took the stand and admitted his involvement. The only defense offered was that defendant abandoned the conspiracy in the middle of the robbery and that defense is not raised on this appeal.

As this is a capital case, the court is obliged to weigh the evidence and to determine whether the jury was justified in finding the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (N. Y. Const., art. VI, § 5; People v. Crum, 272 N. Y. 348, 350). Moreover, this obligation also extends to the hearing court’s finding as to the voluntariness of the confessions, an issue which this court has recently held must be reviewed ‘ ‘ by the same standards applicable to a verdict of guilt ” (see People v. Leonti, 18 N Y 2d 384, 389, 392, cert. den. 389 U. S, 1007; People v. Valletutti, 297 N. Y. 226, 231; compare People v. Perez, 300 N. Y. 208, 216 [indicating prior to the Huntley decision that even in a capital case, the court would not interfere with a jury’s determination on the issue of voluntariness when “ a fair question of fact ” had been presented]; see Cohen and Karger, Powers of the New York Court of Appeals, § 197, p. 740).

On April 5, 1962 defendant and one Walter Sher, armed with pistols, entered Hansen Jewelers in Manhasset, intending to rob the store. Drawing their weapons, defendant and Sher announced their purpose to the four men then in the store: the proprietors, Donald and Edward Hansen; Eugene Formas, an employee; and Robert Reynolds, a messenger. The robbers began to herd their victims into the back of the store but as they did so, Donald Hansen jumped Sher, and Edward Hansen went for defendant. In the ensuing struggle, Donald Hansen was shot, fatally, in the abdomen, Edward Hansen was hit twice, and Formas was also wounded.

Defendant and Sher then fled and on the way out, Edward Hansen managed to tear off defendant’s jacket and tie. The robbers made their escape in an automobile but not before another witness on the sidewalk identified defendant and five others saw, and later identified, the car in which they fled.

[275]*275At trial, Edward Hansen and Eugene Formas identified defendant as one of the two assailants and defendant appeared in his own behalf to admit his participation in the robbery. (Sher, after his arrest, was committed to a mental institution and had not yet been tried.) Further, two confessions made by defendant to the police on the day of his arrest were admitted into evidence. No voir dire was conducted and no objections were raised as to the voluntariness of the statements.

The evidence establishing defendant’s guilt was overwhelming and he does not now contend to the contrary. At trial, he did testify that during the robbery and immediately before the fight, he became frightened and attempted to persuade Sher to leave. If defendant intended by this testimony to lay the foundation for a defense of abandonment, the facts would not support it for there was no appreciable interval between the alleged abandonment ” and the shooting of Donald Hansen (People v. Nichols, 230 N. Y. 221, 229). In any event, defendant’s only contention now is that the two statements taken from him by the police and introduced at trial were involuntary and that, therefore, he is entitled to a new trial, notwithstanding the other evidence of guilt (relying on Haynes v. Washington, 373 U. S. 503, 518).

With only a few exceptions, the testimony given at the confession hearing by defendant and the witnesses for the People did not differ in material respect as to the manner in which the location, arrest, and questioning of defendant occurred.

After the robbery, the police traced the ownership of the suit jacket that Edward Hansen had torn off his assailant and learned that it belonged to defendant. Photographs of defendant were shown to Edward Hansen and another witness who both identified him as one of the robbers. In the early morning of April 7, 1962, less than two days after the robbery, the police arrested defendant and Sher in Sher’s apartment in New York City.

Defendant was then taken to Long Island where he appeared in lineups before several witnesses. Four witnesses identified defendant and three others could not. Detective John Skuzenski, who was in charge of the investigation, testified that on two occasions during the morning of April 7, defendant asked him for permission to telephone his wife. Skuzenski refused to allow [276]*276defendant to call “until the investigation [was] complete.” At the confession hearing, defendant stated that he had asked many times to call his family, and that he had told the police the reason for the call; namely, to get a lawyer. According to defendant, Skuzenski had actually asked him, ‘ ‘ For what specific reason do you want to call [your family] ? ” On cross-examination, defendant conceded that he had ‘‘ memorized ’’ those words. Skuzenski and other officers denied that defendant had ever asked for a lawyer or indicated that that was the purpose of calling his family. The police witnesses at the hearing did concede that defendant was not advised of his right to counsel or his rights against self incrimination.

Instead of arraigning defendant when the lineups concluded at noon, four officers began the formal questioning of defendant. Skuzenski testified that defendant knew he had been identified and that less than half an hour after questioning began, defendant began to admit his participation in the robbery. According to Skuzenski, defendant had not asked for food during the morning, but ate with the police officers at approximately 1:30 p.m. He was fed again later in the afternoon and given cigarettes. The questioning proceeded in a slow but steady fashion and the transcription of defendant’s first statement was started at 1:55 p.m. and not completed until 6:00 p.m. Skuzenski testified that neither he nor any other officer had threatened defendant with physical force or attempted to coerce him by other means.

Defendant’s version of the questioning was slightly, but not markedly, different.

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Bluebook (online)
234 N.E.2d 433, 21 N.Y.2d 271, 287 N.Y.S.2d 385, 1967 N.Y. LEXIS 980, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-carbonaro-ny-1967.