People v. Hamilton

Decision Date22 May 2000
Citation272 A.D.2d 553,708 N.Y.S.2d 136
CourtNew York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
PartiesTHE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent,<BR>v.<BR>DERRICK HAMILTON, Appellant.

O'Brien, J. P., Santucci, Thompson and Feuerstein, JJ., concur.

Ordered that the judgment and order are affirmed.

The defendant's claim that a detective's notebook was not disclosed to his attorney in a timely manner is belied by the record. The defendant concedes that a Rosario packet (see, People v Rosario, 9 NY2d 286), which included the detective's notebook, was turned over to his attorney during jury selection. There was no Rosario violation since the People furnished the defendant with a copy of the notebook well before the time prescribed by CPL 240.45 (1) (a).

The defendant also contends that he was prejudiced at trial because sealed transcripts of ex parte discussions between the trial court and the prosecutor were not turned over to him. However, the defendant concedes that the ex parte discussions pertained to efforts which were being made by the People to procure the appearance of the sole eyewitness at the trial. "Neither the defendant nor the prosecution is entitled to notice of an application for a material witness hearing, and neither party has standing to contest or to participate in a hearing on an application made by the other" (People v Bond, 264 AD2d 851; see also, People v Owens, 235 AD2d 268; People v Turaine, 227 AD2d 299; People v Brown, 195 AD2d 967; People v Davis, 163 AD2d 826).

The defendant was not denied the effective assistance of counsel because his attorney failed to call certain witnesses. At the time of trial, the alleged witnesses were unavailable or unknown to both the defendant and his attorney. Additionally, the defense counsel informed the court that one alibi witness was ill, resided in Connecticut and that "travelling [to court] would be impossible". The defense counsel further advised the court that another alibi witness was too frightened and had failed to appear in court even though on the previous evening he had agreed to appear. The defense counsel's request for a continuance so he could attempt to persuade this witness to appear was denied. Counsel cannot be considered ineffective because alibi witnesses were too ill to come to court to testify or were unwilling to testify (see, People v Stewart, 248 AD2d 414).

The defendant's claim that the People violated their obligation to disclose the existence of exculpatory material (see, Brady v Maryland, 373 US 83) is also meritless, since...

To continue reading

Request your trial
7 cases
  • People v. Fermin
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • May 10, 2017
    ...and neither party has standing to contest or to participate in a hearing on an application made by the other’ " (People v. Hamilton, 272 A.D.2d 553, 553, 708 N.Y.S.2d 136, quoting People v. Bond, 264 A.D.2d 851, 851, 696 N.Y.S.2d 179, revd. on other grounds 95 N.Y.2d 840, 713 N.Y.S.2d 514, ......
  • People v. Hamilton
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • January 15, 2014
    ...judgment rendered July 12, 1993, the defendant was convicted of murder in the second degree, upon a jury verdict ( see People v. Hamilton, 272 A.D.2d 553, 708 N.Y.S.2d 136), stemming from the shooting of Nathaniel Cash in Brooklyn on January 4, 1991, at around 11:00 a.m. ( see Hamilton v. H......
  • People v. Abodalo
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • December 30, 2020
    ...group of individuals to know of the allegations which he deemed to be embarrassing for him and his family (see People v. Hamilton, 272 A.D.2d 553, 554, 708 N.Y.S.2d 136 ). In addition, the defendant failed to demonstrate that his trial counsel was ineffective for not introducing certain doc......
  • People v. Carr
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • November 14, 2013
    ...and it did not involve the determination of any issue requiring input from defendant or his counsel ( see e.g. People v. Hamilton, 272 A.D.2d 553, 708 N.Y.S.2d 136 [2d Dept.2000], lv. denied95 N.Y.2d 935, 721 N.Y.S.2d 611, 744 N.E.2d 147 [2000];People v. Valenzuela, 234 A.D.2d 219, 653 N.Y.......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT