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People v. Spinelli

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Sep 24, 1990
165 A.D.2d 888 (N.Y. App. Div. 1990)

Opinion

September 24, 1990

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Queens County (Friedmann, J.).


Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law, the defendant's motion to dismiss the indictment is denied, the indictment is reinstated, and the matter is remitted to the Supreme Court, Queens County, for further proceedings before a different Justice.

The defendant did not make a clear showing that the prosecutor should have charged the Grand Jury with the defense of justification. Viewing the evidence presented to the Grand Jury in a light most favorable to the defendant (see, People v McManus, 67 N.Y.2d 541, 549), the record clearly establishes that the defendant was the initial aggressor, he could have retreated with complete safety into his nearby home, and his use of deadly physical force was not necessary to avert the imminent use of such force (see, Penal Law § 35.15). The prosecutor did not withhold any information from the Grand Jury which would have materially influenced its investigation (see, People v Thompson, 108 A.D.2d 942). Furthermore, there is no statute or controlling case law requiring dismissal of an indictment merely because, sometime later, the prosecutor becomes aware of some information which may lead to the acquittal of the defendant (see, People v Goetz, 68 N.Y.2d 96, 116). Mangano, P.J., Thompson, Lawrence and O'Brien, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Spinelli

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Sep 24, 1990
165 A.D.2d 888 (N.Y. App. Div. 1990)
Case details for

People v. Spinelli

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Appellant, v. THOMAS SPINELLI…

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

Date published: Sep 24, 1990

Citations

165 A.D.2d 888 (N.Y. App. Div. 1990)
560 N.Y.S.2d 358

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