People v. Baptiste’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate ·

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 4 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “On August 11, 1995, defendant and his former girlfriend, Jeanette Cortijo, engaged in a verbal altercation, after which defendant uttered that he was tired of her and “I am going to kill her.” In the early morning hours of August 12, 1995, the two had another altercation where defendant pushed Cortijo into her car. She then drove her car at defendant, causing him to fall off of the bicycle he was riding. He again stated that he was tired of her and was going to kill her. Defendant then retrieved his 9 millimeter gun from the apartment at 945 Emmett Street in the City of Schenectady, Schenectady County, where he lived with codefendant Jamal Dennis 1 and three women. He and Dennis located Cortijo, leading to another verbal altercation. While the two men attempted to walk away, Cortijo followed them in her car, drove away, then quickly returned. At that point, at approximately 3:30 A.M., defendant shot into Cortijo’s car multiple times, killing her and her passenger, Chakima Dickerson. Defendant and Dennis then fled and returned to their nearby apartment, where defendant admitted to one of the women that he killed Cortijo. At approximately 4:00 A.M., defendant called a girlfriend in Brooklyn to pick him up. An individual informed the police that he saw three men running in the direction of an alley next to 945 Emmett Street at about the time of the shootings. Police saw defendant, Dennis and others hurriedly loading a cab from Brooklyn at that location at approximately 9:00 A.M.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 766 F. Supp. 2d 339 - Baptiste v. Ercole

2. “at trial, defendant based his defense on proof that his codefendant shot the victims. This defense was consistent with defendant’s oral and written statements, as well as the testimony of the only eyewitness to the shooting. Defenses of extreme emotional disturbance and mental disease or defect would have been inconsistent with defendant’s trial strategy since it would have required defendant to admit he shot the victims. Defendant’s claim that trial counsel failed to discuss or consider these defenses is belied by the affidavit of defendant’s mother in which she states that defense counsel was well aware of defendant’s prior counseling and mental health problems.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 766 F. Supp. 2d 339 - Baptiste v. Ercole

3. “independent proof at trial concerning the information contained in defendant’s statements was overwhelming” and because Petitioner’s”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 766 F. Supp. 2d 339 - Baptiste v. Ercole