Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Ronald Robertson, Appellant
Court: New York Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1980-01-03
Citations: 48 N.Y.2d 993
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Ronald Robertson, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Reports
Volume: 48
Pages: 993–995

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Ronald Robertson, Appellant.
Argued December 10, 1979;
decided January 3, 1980
APPEARANCES OF COUNSEL
Stanley Neustadter for appellant.
Mario Merola, District Attorney (David H. Fromm and Billie Manning of counsel), for respondent.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
Memorandum.
The order appealed from should be affirmed. We agree with the Appellate Division that the evidence indicating that defendant had control over the apartment was sufficient to support the conclusion reached by the jury that defendant constructively possessed the heroin (valued at $30,000) and drug paraphernalia located in the otherwise empty apartment. In light of the condition of the apartment and its contents, defendant's manner of entry, combined with his possession of the key, the rent receipts and the realtor's business card permitted the jury to find that the defendant had been in the apartment before and sufficed to prove control in this case (see People y Phiefer, 43 NY2d 719; cf. People v Gambino, 35 NY2d 932). As to defendant's challenge to the search warrant, we deem it unnecessary to consider the legality of the initial police entry into the apartment, since there existed sufficient independent support for the warrant in the police officer's testimony before the issuing court concerning the information provided by the landlord.
Chief Judge Cooke and Judges Jasen, Gabrielli, Jones, Wachtler, Fuchsberg and Meyer concur in memorandum.
Order affirmed.