People v. Strong

338 N.E.2d 602 (1975)

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People v. Strong

New York Court of Appeals
338 N.E.2d 602 (1975)

Facts

Robert Strong (defendant) was a religious leader who believed that his religion empowered him to control physical matter, including another human’s body, with his mind. Strong claimed that he had successfully performed a ceremony multiple times in which he demonstrated his power of mind over matter by stabbing a volunteer in the chest with a knife without harming the volunteer. Strong performed this ceremony on Kenneth Goings by stabbing Goings with three knives and a hatchet. Afterward, Strong noticed that Goings was bleeding and tried to bandage the wounds. Strong also admitted that he felt uptight when he learned that Goings was not doing well after the ceremony. Goings eventually died from the wounds. Strong was charged with second-degree manslaughter for having killed Goings recklessly, i.e., by consciously ignoring a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the ceremony would kill Goings. At trial, Strong testified that he sincerely believed his powers would protect Goings from any danger. One of Strong’s followers also testified that he had witnessed Strong successfully perform this ceremony on a prior occasion. Strong asked the court to allow the jury to consider a lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide, which applied if Strong had been negligently unaware of the ceremony’s risk to Goings. The court denied Strong’s request, and the jury convicted Strong of second-degree manslaughter. On appeal, Strong argued that the jury should have been allowed to consider whether his conduct was negligent homicide instead of second-degree manslaughter.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Jasen, J.)

Dissent (Gabrielli, J.)

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