The People of the State of New York v. George Hetenyi

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals reversed George Hetenyi's first-degree murder conviction and ordered a new trial, finding that the district attorney's summation remarks on the defendant's failure to testify and his religious background violated the rule against character evidence and prejudiced his substantial rights. The majority held that these errors were not harmless given the weight of the evidence. Justice Dye dissented, arguing that the comments were cured by the trial court's charge and did not warrant reversal.