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People v. Hassell

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Feb 24, 1992
180 A.D.2d 819 (N.Y. App. Div. 1992)

Opinion

February 24, 1992

Appeal from the County Court, Orange County (Pano Z. Patsalos, J.).


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

During questioning of the defendant, the investigator from the District Attorney's office informed him that the blood found on his pants had been analyzed and found to be the same type as that of the victim. This was untrue. Although the blood had been analyzed, and subsequently was found to match the blood of the victim, the results were not yet available at the time that the investigator spoke to the defendant. The use of deception and trickery by the police "need not result in involuntariness without some showing that the deception was so fundamentally unfair as to deny due process" (People v. Tarsia, 50 N.Y.2d 1, 11; People v. Jackson, 140 A.D.2d 458; People v. Burnett, 99 A.D.2d 786). We find that the ruse employed by the investigator in this case did not render the defendant's statements involuntary (see, People v. Tarsia, supra; People v. Madison, 135 A.D.2d 655, affd 73 N.Y.2d 810). Further, the defendant was subject to continuous questioning from the time he was first read his rights, and therefore, additional warnings were unnecessary (see, People v Starks, 139 A.D.2d 681, 682; People v. Glinsman, 107 A.D.2d 710, cert denied 472 U.S. 1021).

Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution (see, People v. Contes, 60 N.Y.2d 620), we find that it was legally sufficient to establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Moreover, upon the exercise of our factual review power, we are satisfied that the verdict was not against the weight of the evidence (see, CPL 470.15).

We have considered the defendant's remaining contentions, including those raised in his supplemental pro se brief, and find them to be unpreserved for appellate review or without merit. Thompson, J.P., Sullivan, Harwood and Balletta, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Hassell

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Feb 24, 1992
180 A.D.2d 819 (N.Y. App. Div. 1992)
Case details for

People v. Hassell

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. JOHN HASSELL, Appellant

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Feb 24, 1992

Citations

180 A.D.2d 819 (N.Y. App. Div. 1992)

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