People v. Blacknall

Decision Date23 October 1984
Citation483 N.Y.S.2d 206,472 N.E.2d 1034,63 N.Y.2d 912
Parties, 472 N.E.2d 1034 The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Willie BLACKNALL, Appellant.
CourtNew York Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
Mariann Sullivan and William E. Hellerstein, New York City, for appellant.
OPINION OF THE COURT MEMORANDUM.

The order of the Appellate Term should be reversed and the case remitted to Criminal Court, New York County, for further proceedings on the accusatory instrument.

Failure of the Trial Judge to include in the jury charge, as requested, the statutory definitions of "deprive" and "appropriate" (see Penal Law, § 155.00, subds. 3, 4) was reversible error in this attempted larceny case. There is no requirement, as the Appellate Term found, that a "unique and difficult" larcenous intent issue be presented by the evidence before such amplifying definitions must be given. In this case, evidence presented by the prosecution showed that defendant had been seen striking several women in the back of the head before he reached out and pulled an earring from the victim, that the earring fell to the ground, and that by the time defendant was arrested, the victim and the earring both had vanished. We agree with the analysis of Justice Sandifer, in his dissent, that in such circumstances the omission of the statutory definitions requested to be charged "could have misled the jury into thinking that any withholding, permanent or temporary, constituted larceny" (People v. Matthews, 61 A.D.2d 1017, 402 N.Y.S.2d 617).

COOKE, C.J., and JASEN, JONES, WACHTLER, MEYER, SIMONS and KAYE, JJ., concur.

On review of submissions pursuant to section 500.4 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals (22 NYCRR 500.4), order reversed and case remitted to the Criminal Court of the City of New York, New York County, for further proceedings on the accusatory instrument in a memorandum.

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16 cases
  • Almonte v. Lee
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York
    • May 20, 2015
    ...failed to instruct the jury on the statutory definitions of "deprive" and "appropriate." (Pet. Memo. at 80 (citing Blacknall, 63 N.Y.2d 912, 913, 483 N.Y.S.2d 206, 207 (1984))). In that case, the court reasoned that, because the prosecution presented evidence that "defendant had been seen s......
  • Veloz v. Garland
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit
    • February 17, 2022
    ...381–82 (2011) ; People v. Jensen , 86 N.Y.2d 248, 630 N.Y.S.2d 989, 654 N.E.2d 1237, 1239 (1995) ; People v. Blacknall , 63 N.Y.2d 912, 483 N.Y.S.2d 206, 472 N.E.2d 1034, 1034–35 (1984).3 See Ferreiras Veloz , 999 F.3d at 804 (discussing Appellate Division cases allowing for conviction appa......
  • People v. Cullen
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • March 14, 1988
    ...so extended a period of time that a major portion of its economic value is lost (Penal Law § 155.05[1]; People v. Blacknall, 63 N.Y.2d 912, 913-914, 483 N.Y.S.2d 206, 472 N.E.2d 1034; People v. Ward, 120 A.D.2d 758, 759, 503 N.Y.S.2d The record reveals a reasonable doubt regarding the defen......
  • People v. Archie
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • March 2, 2010
    ...have misled the jury into thinking that any withholding, permanent or temporary, constituted larceny” ( People v. Blacknall, 63 N.Y.2d 912, 914, 483 N.Y.S.2d 206, 472 N.E.2d 1034 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see People v. Johnson, 75 A.D.2d 585, 426 N.Y.S.2d 570). Increasing the like......
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