New York Court of Appeals

The People of the State of New York v. Herman Way

July 5, 198359 N.Y.2d 361

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals reversed Herman Way's convictions for first‑degree burglary and second‑degree robbery, holding that the circumstantial evidence was insufficient to prove his accomplice liability beyond a reasonable doubt. The court emphasized the stringent standard for circumstantial evidence and found the prosecution's inferences about Way's role as a lookout unsupported.