Opinion ID: 782204
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Sirois Hearing2

Text: 11 At the Sirois hearing, the prosecution called Police Officer Wilson Vargas and Detective Hedxan Quinones, who had been present at the March 13 and 14 trial preparation sessions with Echevarria. In each of the sessions, according to these witnesses, Echevarria described the events he saw the night of the shooting, relating that while he was using a telephone on the corner, he saw the defendant cross the street in a crouched manner, holding his hand close to his side. When he reached the corner, the defendant approached Davilla, said What's up now, money? while pointing a gun at Davilla, and shot him. Davilla fell backward, stumbled and attempted to run away. Cotto followed, continuing to fire shots, then turned around, looked at Echevarria face-to-face, pointed the gun at him without firing, and fled. Vargas and Quinones further testified that during the two sessions, Echevarria was seated in a chair, was not in handcuffs, did not appear nervous, demonstrated a positive frame of mind, engaged in conversation without any sign of discomfort, and was not promised anything for his trial testimony. 12 Officer Vargas testified additionally that he and a prosecutor met with Echevarria again on March 20th, two days after Echevarria testified that he could not identify the shooter. At the meeting, Echevarria indicated that he was afraid something might happen to [his] family if he testified and that there would probably be a contract out on him. In addition, the government introduced the audiotape recording of the two messages left by Echevarria on the lead prosecutor's voicemail on March 17, expressing concern about testifying. 13 Detective Quinones further testified that he had spoken with Echevarria's mother and sister before the Sirois hearing. Echevarria's sister told Quinones that a few days earlier, unidentified people from her neighborhood had approached her and asked her exactly where Echevarria was being housed in Riker's Island. She told the detective that the word out on the street was that her brother was talking. She added that she knew that Cotto's family had killed a family a while ago and that if anyone talked against his family, he or she would be killed. 14 The prosecution also called Echevarria's mother as a hearing witness. She testified that her daughter told her that someone had stopped her in the street and had asked whether her brother was incarcerated. Echevarria's mother testified that her daughter said she was scared and afraid for her brother — a sentiment she had never previously expressed. 15 When called by the prosecution at the Sirois hearing, both Echevarria and his sister denied making these statements. Echevarria's sister denied that she had been harassed, and denied telling Detective Quinones or her mother about a conversation with the harassing party. Echevarria himself reiterated his trial testimony that he could not identify the shooter, and explained his voicemail message by stating that he did not want to testify at trial because he did not want to miss an upstate parole hearing. 16 At the conclusion of the Sirois hearing, the trial court decided, in an oral ruling that was followed by a written opinion, People v. Cotto, 642 N.Y.S.2d 790, 169 Misc.2d 194 (N.Y.Sup.Ct.1996), that Cotto had procured Echevarria's unwillingness to testify, and therefore his statements to the prosecutor and police officers from the week before trial would be admissible as evidence of Cotto's guilt. In addition, the trial court ruled that the defense would be precluded from cross-examining Echevarria, concluding that no truth-serving function would be served by allowing him to be cross-examined on any subject.