People v. Ordonez

The defendant was convicted after a jury trial of attempted murder in the second degree. Of the various errors alleged, the most substantial concerns the extent and nature of the defendant’s cross-examination with regard to collateral acts. However, the strength of the People’s case seems to me so compelling that a reversal could be justified only upon a finding that the defendant was denied the "fundamental right to a fair trial.” (People v Crimmins, 36 NY2d 230, 238.) I do not believe that the trial as a whole can appropriately be so evaluated, although the question seems to me…