The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. Blas Gonzalez, Appellant

Summary

The Court of Appeals reversed the murder conviction and ordered a new trial because the trial judge improperly refused to answer a jury question concerning pre‑meditation, violating §427 of the New York Code of Criminal Procedure. The Court held that a trial judge must answer a proper jury question and that failure to do so constitutes reversible error. Justice Conway concurred in the result, noting the trial judge gave no answer to the jury’s query.