People v. Lucatuorto

174 Misc. 2d 670, 664 N.Y.S.2d 1016, 1997 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 512
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedOctober 15, 1997
StatusPublished

This text of 174 Misc. 2d 670 (People v. Lucatuorto) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Lucatuorto, 174 Misc. 2d 670, 664 N.Y.S.2d 1016, 1997 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 512 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Joseph E. Fahey, J.

[671]*671The accused, Arabella Lucatuorto, is charged in a two-count indictment with the crimes of manslaughter in the first degree in violation of section 125.20 (1) of the Penal Law and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree in violation of section 265.01 (2) of the Penal Law. She has moved to dismiss the indictment pursuant to CPL 190.30 (1) and 210.35 (5) upon the ground that she was unfairly prejudiced by the prosecutor’s questioning her about changing her account of what occurred when confronted with the prospect of a polygraph examination, relying upon People v Dobler (29 Misc 2d 481 [Suffolk County Ct 1961]). In support of this application, the accused cites a certain portion of the testimony during which the following occurred:

"Q: And didn’t you say to him, I’ll take a lie detector test?
"A: Yes.
"Q: Okay. And that’s how Detective Solan got involved, because you learned that he’s the guy that gives lie detector tests for the Sheriff’s Department?
"A: Yes.
"Q: And so you met with Detective Solan, and you ended up signing a second statement, is that right Mrs. Lucatuorto?
"A: Yes.” (Grand Jury transcript, at 162-163.)
"Q: Mrs. Lucatuorto, when Detective Solan was talking to you about the lie detector, do you recall him having a conversation with you about he didn’t want the machine to say that you were lying, if there was something you were lying about, tell him now before the machine says that?
"A: He was saying that to me, yes.
"Q: Okay at any point did you then say to him, the last 15 or 20 seconds about what happened to Richard, and you ended up telling him that it was you who stabbed him? Did you tell him that?
"A: I told him that my hand was on the knife when I pulled it out, but I didn’t recall any blackouts and I couldn’t even — I had lost my watch for two weeks, and I was — my back was against the closet in the kitchen, so I didn’t have a clue. The last time I had looked at a clock was when Richard sat down on the couch with me before 9:00, after he had finished talking to his sister, and that was the last time I looked at the clock.
"Q: So when Detective Solan asked you about lying and the machine’s telling him someone’s lying, you said to him your hand being on the knife when you were taking the knife out?
[672]*672"A: I just said I remember my hand being on the knife, and I was thinking it’s when I was pulling it out of his chest to put the cloth on the wound.” (Grand Jury transcript, at 168-169.)

In response, the People contend: "No evidence was presented to the Grand Jury that an actual polygraph test was completed. No evidence was presented to the Grand Jury indicating the results of a polygraph test. Hence, there was no inference to be drawn that the Defendant was lying then and therefore is lying now. Evidence was introduced that the defendant gave a second statement to Detective Solan. The mention of the lie detector test was merely to show the background of how Detective Solan became involved in the case. In fact, the question cited by the defendant 'And didn’t you say to him, I’ll take a lie detector test?’ Indicates that the defendant initiated the idea of the polygraph. The very next question was * * * 'and that’s how Detective Solan got involved’ * * * to which the defendant replied 'Yes.’ To dismiss an indictment based upon the mere mention of a polygraph test without mention of the results of the exam or whether one was ever taken, is unsupported by case law.” (People’s answering affidavit, point II ¶ 2.)

The law in New York is clear that polygraph examinations and their results remain inadmissible during both trial and Grand Jury proceedings. (People v Shedrick, 66 NY2d 1015 [1985]; People v Ricigliano, 138 AD2d 751 [2d Dept [1988].) The often-stated reason for their exclusion is that they are not considered competent or reliable. (Supra.) Indeed, such evidence has even been excluded in sentencing proceedings (People v Carmody, 213 AD2d 720 [2d Dept 1995]). Moreover, the Court of Appeals has most recently affirmed a trial court exclusion of expert psychiatric opinion testimony which was in some part predicated upon the results of a polygraph examination (People v Angelo, 88 NY2d 217 [1996]). It is thus clear that such evidence may not be received in direct or indirect form.

In the instant case, the People contend that the introduction of the testimony concerning a polygraph examination was "initiated” by the defendant herself and "to show the background of how Detective Solan became involved in the case” (People’s answering affidavit, op. cit). However, a review of the Grand Jury testimony of the accused reveals that she testified in the narrative for 28 pages without any mention of a polygraph by her. It was not until questioning by the prosecutor that the subject of a polygraph was introduced, cited by the prosector above. While these questions were prefatory to the introduction of the second statement taken by Detective Solan, which [673]*673arguably could be viewed as harmless if limited to providing background for the interview, the prosecutor sua sponte chose to return to the topic placing particular emphasis on the probable outcome of the test as viewed by Solan.

Moreover, this was neither the beginning nor the end of the topic before the Grand Jury. Following the accused, Detective Solan was called to testify about his interview with her. During the course of his testimony, Detective Solan told the Grand Jury about his training and experience as a polygraphist, and his discussion with the defendant about the polygraph itself, including the following:

"Q: After you completed the polygraph sensitivity test, tell us about your conversation with Mrs. Lucatuorto.
"A: I took a moment with Mrs. Lucatuorto to explain to her that I didn’t want the machine to call anyone a liar, and I tried to explain to her that it’s not a crystal ball, and it’s also not a 60/40 machine where part of what she said is true and another part is a lie. The polygraph doesn’t discern that, it just tells truth or deception. I asked her to make sure that what she told Det. Kruger [w]as 100 percent of the truth because I don’t want to call her a liar, and at that point she told me she hadn’t been a hundred percent truthful.
"Q: Would you tell us what she subsequently told you about what happened in that last 15 or 20 seconds?
"A: She stated that the part she had not been truthful about was the actual incident, which I believe to the case facts [sic] is the reason why her husband died. She stated she recalled her hands being on the knife inside her husband. She explained to me that the fight had gone into the kitchen area, she was in fear for her life, she was in a fetal position, she recalled that she didn’t remember where she got the knife from, whether she got it from a counter or the floor, but she remembered seeing her hand on the knife with her hand closer to the blade inside his chest cavity.

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Related

People v. Angelo
666 N.E.2d 1333 (New York Court of Appeals, 1996)
People v. Huston
668 N.E.2d 1362 (New York Court of Appeals, 1996)
People v. Shedrick
489 N.E.2d 1290 (New York Court of Appeals, 1985)
People v. Ricigliano
138 A.D.2d 751 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1988)
People v. Carmody
213 A.D.2d 720 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1995)
People v. Dobler
29 Misc. 2d 481 (New York County Courts, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
174 Misc. 2d 670, 664 N.Y.S.2d 1016, 1997 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 512, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-lucatuorto-nycountyct-1997.