People v. Cowart

OPINION OF THE COURT

Herbert I. Altman, J.

The defendant is charged with murder in the second degree (two counts) and robbery in the first degree arising out of the shooting of Michael Murphy in Central Park on January 21, 1979.

Although defendant was not formally arrested on the instant charges until October 8, 1980, he was in fact arrested, along with two others, for unrelated robberies during the early morning hours of January 22,1979. Those robberies were committed in Bronx County approximately an hour and a half after the Central Park shooting and shortly before the arrest.

I. THE ISSUE

Defend…