People v. Diaz

3 Misc. 3d 686, 777 N.Y.S.2d 856, 2004 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 200
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 3 Misc. 3d 686 (People v. Diaz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Diaz, 3 Misc. 3d 686, 777 N.Y.S.2d 856, 2004 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 200 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2004).

Opinion

[687]*687OPINION OF THE COURT

John M. Leventhal, J.

This decision determines the legitimacy of the court’s order permitting the prosecution to have the defendant examined by a People’s psychiatric expert and establishes the parameters of the expert’s testimony.

In deciding this matter, the court has considered all prior proceedings, the defendant’s memorandum, supplemental memorandum, oral arguments, and copies of the briefs submitted to the Court of Appeals in People v Smith (1 NY3d 610 [2004]).

Background

On June 4, 2000, the defendant strangled his former girlfriend (called by the defendant his “common-law wife,” i.e., victim). For this crime the defendant has been indicted on various homicide counts and related crimes.

On February 18, 2004, the parties stated that they were ready for trial and the court instructed a court officer to go to the jury pool courtroom and obtain a jury panel. While the court was waiting for the panel to arrive, the People made a Molineux (People v Molineux, 168 NY 264 [1901]) application. In argument, the prosecutrix claimed that the defendant had been incarcerated for a lengthy period of time because of a prior assault on the victim and that two weeks before the homicide, the defendant was released from jail. The People claimed that the underlying facts of the prior assault and defendant’s lengthy incarceration provided the defendant with a motive for the killing and showed his intent to murder the victim.

Prior to deciding the application, the court informed defense counsel that in order to comply with the balancing test of Molineux, the defendant would have to alert the court of his defense in the case. Defense counsel stated that the defendant was not denying that he had killed or that he intended to murder the victim, but claimed that the murder was done under circumstances evincing “extreme emotional disturbance (E.E.D.).”

The People immediately objected to any evidence of E.E.D. as the defendant had failed to serve written notice (CPL 250.10 [1] [b]; People v Berk, 88 NY2d 257 [1996]). The defense counsel argued that he was not required to give notice because the only person he intended to call as a witness regarding E.E.D. was the defendant. Defense counsel then proceeded to argue that because only lay testimony on the mental state defense was be[688]*688ing offered, notice was not required. The prosecutrix vigorously disagreed. The court noted that in the morning’s New York Law Journal the Court of Appeals refused to decide the issue of the necessity of giving pretrial notice when only nonexpert testimony is being offered by a defendant (People v Smith, 1 NY3d 610 [2004]). This court then directed the defendant to file a late notice of intent. The court (a) found that the defendant’s failure to file a notice was not a willful failure, (b) stated that it was concerned that if it precluded the defense of E.E.D. on the ground of failure to file a notice of intent, and if the defendant were to be convicted of murder in the second degree, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, would grant habeas corpus relief based on its prior precedents (Bohan v Kuhlmann, 66 Fed Appx 277 [2d Cir 2003]; Noble v Kelly, 246 F3d 93, 98-100 [2001]; Escalera v Coombe, 852 F2d 45, 48 [1988]),1 and (c) authorized a late filing of the notice.

Thereafter, the prosecution requested that the defendant be examined by their expert as to the viability of the affirmative defense of E.E.D. The defendant objected contending that the People were not entitled to have the defendant examined by their expert based on the assertion that only his testimony was going to be offered to establish E.E.D., and that such testimony is lay testimony.

The court then disbanded the jury panel (which had arrived) and adjourned the matter to February 20, 2004 for submission of a notice of intent and oral argument on the issues. On that date, the defendant filed a notice of intent to present the E.E.D. defense and a memorandum of law. The court also heard oral argument.

At oral argument, the defense counsel conceded that the court was correct in ordering service of the notice of intent, but objected to the psychiatric examination by the People’s expert. The defendant cited People v Morgan (178 Misc 2d 554 [1998]) for the proposition that the People are riot entitled to a psychiatric examination where only lay testimony is offered even though the defendant must serve notice of intent. The Morgan court held that requiring the defendant to undergo an examination by the People’s expert, where only nonexpert testimony is offered, violates the defendant’s Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination. The defendant also indicated that [689]*689the court in People v Irwin (182 Misc 2d 113 [1999]) disagreed with Morgan and held that the prosecution is entitled to a psychiatric examination even though the defendant is only presenting nonexpert testimony and that such examination does not violate the Fifth Amendment right against compulsory self-incrimination.2

The court adjourned the matter, directed that the examination proceed, and stated that the court would determine the admissibility and permissible scope of the People’s expert’s testimony. This decision explains the court’s action and determines the unresolved issues in the case.

Extreme Emotional Disturbance

Penal Law § 125.25 (1) (a) provides for a reduction of the crime of murder in the second degree to manslaughter in the first degree if the defendant proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the homicidal act was committed under “extreme emotional disturbance.” The “affirmative defense has two components: an objective element requiring sufficient proof that there was a reasonable explanation or excuse for the emotional disturbance, and a subjective element requiring sufficient proof that the conduct was influenced by an extreme emotional disturbance at the time the alleged crime was committed” (People v White, 79 NY2d 900, 903 [1992]). In order to establish the affirmative defense, the defendant must prove a “mental infirmity” not arising to the level of insanity (People v Patterson, 39 NY2d 288, 302 [1976], affd 432 US 197 [1977]; Smith, 1 NY3d 610 [2004]). Absent proof of a “mental infirmity” the defendant would not be entitled to an E.E.D. jury instruction (People v Roche, 98 NY2d 70, 76 [2002]). The proof of “mental infirmity” can be established without the testimony of either a psychiatrist or psychologist (Roche, 98 NY2d at 76; People v Moye, 66 NY2d 887, 890 [1985]). However, anger and embarrassment are not emotions which would support the affirmative defense of “extreme emotional disturbance” (People v Walker, 64 NY2d 741, 743 [1984]; People v Binkley, 278 AD2d 124, 124 [2000]; People v Reeves, 163 AD2d 590, 590 [1990]).

[690]*690CPL 250.10

CPL 250.10 (2) states that “psychiatric evidence” is not admissible unless the defendant serves a written notice of intent to offer such testimony. CPL 250.10 (1) (b) defines the term “psychiatric evidence” as:

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Related

People v. Diaz
62 A.D.3d 157 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2009)
People v. Diaz
2004 NY Slip Op 24076 (New York Supreme Court, Kings County, 2004)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
3 Misc. 3d 686, 777 N.Y.S.2d 856, 2004 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-diaz-nysupct-2004.