People v. Hilton

147 Misc. 2d 200, 555 N.Y.S.2d 550, 1990 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 205
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 16, 1990
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 147 Misc. 2d 200 (People v. Hilton) 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. Hilton, 147 Misc. 2d 200, 555 N.Y.S.2d 550, 1990 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 205 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Steven W. Fisher, J.

On this motion, the defendant seeks to preclude, or in the alternative to suppress, the potential identification testimony of the complaining witness. The defendant maintains that preclusion is warranted because the identification notice served upon him did not satisfy the requirements of CPL 710.30. In the alternative, he contends that suppression is required because the People failed to carry their burden of coming forward at the Wade hearing with evidence of the lawfulness of the pretrial identification procedures and because the lineup was shown to have been both unfair and violative of the defendant’s right to counsel.1

Based upon the testimony and documentary evidence offered at the Wade hearing, and upon court records, I find the facts to be as follows:

On April 30, 1989, Maureen Peters reported to the police that, in the early morning hours of that day, she had been [202]*202robbed of her purse on 26th Avenue between Union Street and Parsons Boulevard in Flushing, Queens. She said that she had just parked her car when an old, brown Toyota or Datsun sedan pulled alongside her. When the passenger unsuccessfully tried to grab her purse, she began to run. The driver got out of the vehicle, pursued her on foot, pushed her up against a parked car and took her purse. He then returned to his vehicle and drove away.

Ms. Peters described the driver as a male black, approximately 190 pounds, 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, approximately 28 years old, with short hair, and wearing white sneakers, blue jeans and a dark jacket. She could describe the passenger only as a black male.

On May 1, 1989, Ms. Peters viewed photographs, first at her home and then at the 109th Precinct, without result. Later the same day, she went to the Queens Criminal Identification Unit at the 112th Precinct where she looked at drawers containing photographs of black men. She selected the photograph of the defendant, Troy Hilton.

At the Wade hearing, the People called Detective John O’Connell who had shown Ms. Peters the drawers of photographs at the Identification Unit. Detective O’Connell had absolutely no independent recollection of the circumstances surrounding Ms. Peter’s photographic identification. He did, however, produce a form which he filled out at the time reflecting Ms. Peter’s selection of the defendant’s photograph. Without objection, the form was received in evidence both as a business record and as evidence of past recollection recorded.

On May 2, 1989, the day after the photographic identification, Ms. Peters had a conversation with Police Officer Donald Henne of the 109th Precinct robbery identification program who had been assigned to the case. She recounted the incident for the officer and gave him a description of the driver. She told Henne that she had selected a photograph and was 90% certain that the man in the photograph was the individual who had taken her purse. She said that she would be able to make a definite identification if she saw a lineup. Thereafter, Officer Henne received the defendant’s photograph from the Identification Unit and ascertained his last known address.

On July 26, 1989, Officer Henne and his partner went to that address and saw the defendant emerge from the building. Because there were many people around, and because the [203]*203officers feared that an arrest on the spot would precipitate an incident, they decided to resort to a ruse. They approached the defendant, identified themselves, and told him that they believed he had witnessed an automobile accident in the area. They asked if he would be willing to come to the precinct to answer questions about the accident. The defendant replied that he would but that he was on his way to a meeting. When he agreed to come to the precinct later that evening, the officers let him go on his way.

The defendant in fact appeared at the precinct that night. He was told that he was to be arrested for a robbery and was to stand in a lineup. He replied by denying the commission of the crime.

Five "fillers” were recruited from a men’s shelter, and two officers went to pick up Ms. Peters. The defendant elected to hold number four in the lineup and to sit in an end seat. Ms. Peters viewed the lineup of six men and selected the defendant as the man who haid robbed her.

At his Criminal Court arraignment on July 27, 1989, the defendant was served, inter alia, with a complaint and with notice pursuant to CPL 710.30 (1) (b). The complaint was signed by Officer Henne who averred that the allegations were based upon information provided to him by Ms. Peters. The notice asserted that the People expected to elicit identification testimony from "a witness (witnesses) who has (have) previously identified the defendant” at a lineup on July 26, 1989 and "by photograph” on May 1,1989.

On August 23, 1989, the defendant was indicted for robbery in the third degree. He was arraigned on the indictment on September 7, 1989. At the arraignment, the People served a voluntary disclosure form, but did not re-serve CPL 710.30 notice.

At the Wade hearing, when the People chose not to call Ms. Peters, the defendant sought leave to do so even though defense counsel had never spoken with her. In response, I directed the People to provide defense counsel with telephone access to the complainant. The case was adjourned to a date on which counsel was to report as to whether telephone access had been afforded, and, if so, as to whether counsel still wished either to interview Ms. Peters in person or to call her as a witness. On the adjourned date, defense counsel an[204]*204nounced that she had had telephone contact with the complainant and would rest without calling her.2

The defendant’s preclusion claim rests on the assertion that the People failed to comply with CPL 710.30. Insofar as relevant here, that statute provides:

“1. Whenever the people intend to offer at a trial * * * (b) testimony regarding an observation of the defendant either at the time or place of the commission of the offense or upon some other occasion relevant to the case, to be given by a witness who has previously identified him as such, they must serve upon the defendant a notice of such intention, specifying the evidence intended to be offered.
“2. Such notice must be served within fifteen days after arraignment and before trial”.

Relying on People v Penasso (142 AD2d 691), the defendant argues first that the language of subdivision (2) of the statute should be read as limiting the time in which service of identification notice may be properly made to the 15-day period immediately following arraignment on the indictment. Because notice here was served at the defendant’s initial Criminal Court arraignment, well before arraignment on the indictment which had not yet been returned, the defendant maintains that the notice was ineffective. This argument is without merit.

In Penasso (supra), the defendants sought suppression of eavesdropping evidence on the ground that the People had failed to comply with the provisions of CPL 700.70.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Owens
190 Misc. 2d 49 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 2001)
People v. Cox
161 Misc. 2d 1011 (New York Supreme Court, 1994)
People v. Alcindor
157 Misc. 2d 725 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 1993)
People v. Canute
190 A.D.2d 745 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)
People v. Mena
155 Misc. 2d 463 (New York Supreme Court, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
147 Misc. 2d 200, 555 N.Y.S.2d 550, 1990 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 205, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hilton-nysupct-1990.