The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. James F. Cahill, III, Appellant

Summary

The Court held that the trial court erred in its jury‑selection rulings, that the witness‑elimination murder conviction was against the weight of the evidence, and that the burglary‑based murder conviction was legally insufficient; consequently the death sentences were vacated, the convictions reduced to second‑degree murder, and the case remanded for resentencing. The opinion also addressed pretrial publicity, search‑warrant particularity, and the right to a bench trial. A concurrence in part/dissent in part disagreed with the majority’s approach to the burglary aggravating factor and the weight‑of‑evidence analysis.