People v. Williams

Memorandum: On the trial, at which defendant was convicted of first degree manslaughter, two witnesses testified that the deceased victim had said several times that defendant had cut her. Questions eliciting such testimony might have been proper if they had resulted in a showing that defendant tacitly admitted his guilt by silence. The witnesses testified, however, that defendant on each occasion denied the accusation. The record shows that testimony of such denials is in the Grand Jury minutes and that the court and attorneys were aware of such denials before the questions were asked at the…