Summary
reversing a conviction in the "interest of justice" for failure to instruct jury on intoxication "despite there having been no request for [it]"
Summary of this case from Ramirez v. LeonardoOpinion
February 28, 1977
Appeal by defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County, rendered January 23, 1976, convicting him of murder, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence. Judgment reversed, as a matter of discretion in the interest of justice, and case remanded to Criminal Term for further proceedings not inconsistent herewith. In the light of the uncontested testimony that the defendant was "high" on methadone on the night of the murder, there is sufficient evidence of intoxication in the record for a reasonable man to entertain a doubt as to the element of intent (see People v Orr, 43 A.D.2d 836, affd 35 N.Y.2d 829). Despite there having been no request for an instruction as to intoxication, such an instruction was required in the interest of justice (see People v Trisvan, 49 A.D.2d 913). We do not pass upon the delay in prosecution of the indictment, and direct that the Criminal Term hold a hearing with respect to such delay and make a determination thereon. Hopkins, Acting P.J., Cohalan, Damiani and Hawkins, JJ., concur.