Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Craig Kelly, Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1978-04-24
Citations: 64 A.D.2d 955
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Craig Kelly, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 64
Pages: 955–955

Head Matter:
Second Department,
April, 1978
(April 24, 1978)
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Craig Kelly, Appellant.
Not published with other decisions of April, 1978, 62 AD2d 1045. [Rep.

Opinion:
Appeal by defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County, rendered September 8, 1977, convicting him of manslaughter in the first degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence. Judgment reversed, on the law, and new trial ordered. In our opinion the defendant sufficiently raised the defense of justification under section 35.15 (subd 1, par [b]) of the Penal Law so as to require the trial court to instruct the jury that the prosecution had the burden of disproving the defense of justification beyond a reasonable doubt (see People v Steele, 26 NY2d 526; People v Robinson, 47 AD2d 618; People v Soto, 38 AD2d 734). The failure to so charge was reversible error. Titone, J. P., Suozzi, Margett and O'Connor,
JJ., concur.