People v. Hakner
People v. Hakner
Opinion of the Court
Memorandum. The order of the Appellate Term should be affirmed. Unlike the situation in People v. Silver (33 N Y 2d 475), recently decided by this court, defendant in this case knowingly and intentionally committed an act which flowed from mental disease or defect. He was, therefore, beyond any doubt, incapable of conforming his conduct to the requirements of law. The standard, however, which would have relieved defendant of criminal responsibility was rejected by the Legislature (cf. Penal Law, § 30.05 with the proposal by the Temporary Commission on Revision of the Penal Law and Criminal Code, Proposed Penal Law of 1964, § 60.05, and American Law Institute’s Model Penal Code, § 4.01 [Proposed Official Draft, 1962]; see Denzer and McQuillan, Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons. Laws of N. Y., Book 39, Penal Law, § 30.05, pp. 48-49, for the legislative history). The Silver case {supra), on the other hand, involved general criminal responsibility rather than a specific symptom of a specific psychosis, as here, and the majority concluded, as a matter of law, that the People failed to establish criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt. The result in this case is unfortunate, but beyond correction by the court.
Concurring Opinion
I am in agreement with the majority to the extent that the order of the Appellate Term should be affirmed. The issue I take with the majority is in their holding that the defendant committed 1 ‘ an act which flowed from mental disease or defect ” and that “ [h]e was, therefore, beyond any doubt, incapable of conforming his conduct to the requirements of law ”.
Simply stated, the triers of the fact were presented with the issue of insanity, the determination of which was dependent upon a resolution of a pure question of fact which was affirmed by Appellate Term. (See People v. Horton, 308 N. Y. 1, 12; Brown v. United States, 351 F. 2d 473; Dusky v. United States, 295 F. 2d 743, cert. den. 368 U. S. 998.) Based on this .testimony, they were entitled to find that the defendant knew “ the nature and consequences ” of his conduct and that “ such conduct was wrong ” and thus find criminal responsibility under section 30.05 of the Penal Law. Their resolution of these questions and the finding of guilt on the charge of possession of a weapon need not be disturbed.
Order affirmed.
Penal Law (§ 30.05) provides that: “ 1. A person is not criminally responsible for conduct if at the time of such conduct, as a result of mental disease or defect, he lacks substantial capacity to know or appreciate either: (a) The nature and consequences of such conduct; or (b) That such conduct was wrong.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.