Court Opinion

ID: 9448899
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 23:48:25.922873+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:31:35.825482
License: Public Domain

LUMBARD, Chief Judge
(concurring).
I concur with Judge CLARK’s view that the evidence before the district court amply supported Judge Murphy’s conclusion that Glinton’s statements were not coerced.
Failure of the district attorney to keep alive the grand jury proceeding, as he could easily have done, New York Code of Criminal Procedure, § 244, or to commence a new proceeding before a new grand jury — which could have been done in a matter of a few hours, as several grand juries are constantly in session in New York County — played no part whatever in the events which led to the taking of several statements from Glinton while he was held as a material witness. The defect in the proceeding, if it had been discovered, would surely not have resulted in Glinton’s release.
When Glinton was first arraigned before Judge Culkin on the evening of November 13, the judge apprised him of his right not to answer questions. The next day he was rearraigned in the presence of his counsel, Mr. Ross, who had previously represented him in a criminal matter — before the magistrate’s court— and in a civil matter — relating to the insurance policies on Jose Rivera’s life. Mr. Ross warned Glinton not to say anything. The order of the commitment shows that it was contemplated that Glin-ton, as a material witness, would be available for questioning by the district attorney. Glinton’s attorney was in fact in touch with the district attorney on several later occasions.
The district attorney did not unduly prolong Glinton’s detention as a material witness. Those who had knowledge of what occurred when Rivera was *546pushed out of the window on the night of September 12-13, 1957, were all vagrants without family ties and it took the police many weeks to locate them. As the story unfolded the district attorney confronted Glinton with the additional results of the continuing investigation. Although Glinton had been advised at the outset, both by Judge Culkin and his attorney; that he need not answer any questions unless he chose to do so, the record clearly shows that he chose to answer questions of his own free will, apparently in an attempt to clear himself by implicating others. His strategy failed and when the district attorney finally located an eyewitness to the crime, Glin-ton. was immediately indicted. Thus Glinton was in no way denied his constitutional rights and Judge Murphy’s dismissal of the writ must be affirmed.