Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man looking to withdraw his guilty plea in a fatal shooting case instead managed to talk the judge into holding a hearing and assigning a private investigator to check out witnesses’ statements. Curtis N. Henderson, 18, of 545 W. Ostrander Ave., pleaded guilty in May to first-degree manslaughter in the Jan. 8 death of Raymond...
Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man looking to withdraw his guilty plea in a fatal shooting case instead managed to talk the judge into holding a hearing and assigning a private investigator to check out witnesses’ statements.
Curtis N. Henderson, 18, of 545 W. Ostrander Ave., pleaded guilty in May to first-degree manslaughter in the Jan. 8 death of Raymond Johnson Jr. The plea deal called for Henderson to be sentenced to serve 12 years in state prison.
Johnson was sitting in a sport utility vehicle in the 100 block of Richardson Avenue when he was shot at close range. Police said Henderson and Johnson were rival drug dealers involved in a feud.
Before sentencing, Henderson informed state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea and stand trial instead.
In court today, Brunetti asked Henderson what legal grounds he had for withdrawing his guilty plea. The defendant replied that defense lawyer Michael Spano had not been working in his favor.
Brunetti then asked what Henderson thought Spano should have done or done differently. The defendant claimed Spano never got an investigator to check out witness statements and never sought different kinds of pre-trial hearings.
The judge pointed out one of the hearings Henderson wanted was not required as there was no physical evidence to suppress. As for a hearing to suppress a statement from Henderson, the judge noted the statement did not include any incriminating information.
Brunetti decided to order a statement suppression hearing anyway and to authorize the hiring of an investigator to double check witness statements in order to address both issues before deciding the plea-withdrawal motion.
Brunetti left Henderson’s guilty plea in place for now.