People v. Shah

43 Misc. 3d 271, 980 N.Y.S.2d 724
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 2013
StatusPublished

This text of 43 Misc. 3d 271 (People v. Shah) 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. Shah, 43 Misc. 3d 271, 980 N.Y.S.2d 724 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

James M. Kindler, J.

This case was sent to me for a combined Rodriguez, Huntley, Dunaway hearing. Defendant is charged by indictment with assault in the first degree and related charges, emanating from a fight at the Anna M. Kross Center (AMKC), a housing facility at the city detention center on Rikers Island. Both defendant and the alleged victim, James Albano, were, at the time of the charged assault, being detained at AMKC, pending trial, Albano on burglary charges and defendant on charges not specified at the hearing.

The witnesses at the hearing were William Sheridan, an investigator in the Intelligence Division of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC), and Captain Margarita Williams, Captain Robert Cruz and Captain William Sellers, also from DOC. I find the witnesses’ testimony credible and find the following facts based on that testimony:

On May 25, 2011, shortly after 2:00 p.m., Captain Robert Cruz arrived at the scene of an incident in cell 11, in housing area “18 lower,” of AMKC. The first supervisor to arrive there, he was informed by other officers that there had been a fight between the two cell mates in cell 11 and both were injured— there were only two inmates assigned to cell 11 at that time. Defendant was still in the cell, alone, and Captain Cruz ordered him to come out. The captain applied a cuff to one of defendant’s wrists but could not cuff the other wrist because defendant said his shoulder hurt when his other hand was put behind his back. Captain Cruz went to the day room where defendant’s cell mate, James Albano, had been taken, and saw that Albano was missing about a third of his left ear. Albano told the captain that his cell mate had chewed his ear off. Captain Cruz returned to cell 11, and, along with another captain, found a piece of the ear in the cell and kept it cold with ice to help preserve it. When the “probe team” arrived, Captain Cruz got a second pair of [273]*273handcuffs from them and, handcuffed defendant behind his back, using the two pairs of cuffs. Defendant was “upset” but cooperative and was taken by another team of officers (headed by Captain Sellers) to the “intake” area for questioning. According to Captain Cruz, inmates were “automatically” taken to intake when an incident like this occurred in the facility, unless they were seriously injured. Captain Cruz, whose assignment was to collect relevant information and investigate what happened in the cell, made no determination whether either of the inmates involved should be arrested.

None of the captains or other officers involved in the investigation or transporting defendant to intake told defendant where he was being taken or that he was being taken for questioning. Nor was he given a choice whether to go to intake. Captain Sellers, who was with defendant when he was escorted from the housing area to intake, testified that defendant was told only to “remain quiet and just keep walking,” until he got to the area where he would be secured. Captain Sellers estimated the intake area to be 200 to 250 yards

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

Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
New York v. Quarles
467 U.S. 649 (Supreme Court, 1984)
People v. Alls
629 N.E.2d 1018 (New York Court of Appeals, 1993)
People v. Hicks
500 N.E.2d 861 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
People v. Rodriguez
593 N.E.2d 268 (New York Court of Appeals, 1992)
People v. Cabrera
170 A.D.2d 386 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1991)
People v. Kelly
200 A.D.2d 440 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1994)
People v. Hope
284 A.D.2d 560 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
43 Misc. 3d 271, 980 N.Y.S.2d 724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-shah-nysupct-2013.