Section 300.50. Court's charge; submission of lesser included offenses


Latest version.
  • 1.  In  submitting  a count of an indictment to the jury, the court in
      its discretion may, in addition to submitting the greatest offense which
      it is required to submit, submit in the alternative any lesser  included
      offense  if  there  is  a  reasonable  view  of the evidence which would
      support a finding that the defendant committed such lesser  offense  but
      did  not  commit  the  greater.  If  there  is no reasonable view of the
      evidence which would support such a finding, the court  may  not  submit
      such  lesser  offense. Any error respecting such submission, however, is
      waived by the defendant  unless  he  objects  thereto  before  the  jury
      retires to deliberate.
        2.  If  the  court is authorized by subdivision one to submit a lesser
      included offense and is requested by either party to do so, it  must  do
      so. In the absence of such a request, the court's failure to submit such
      offense does not constitute error.
        3. The principles prescribed in subdivisions one and two apply equally
      where  the  lesser  included  offense is specifically charged in another
      count of the indictment.
        4. Whenever the court submits two or more offenses in the  alternative
      pursuant to this section, it must instruct the jury that it may render a
      verdict  of  guilty  with respect to any one of such offenses, depending
      upon its findings of fact, but that it  may  not  render  a  verdict  of
      guilty  with  respect  to more than one. A verdict of guilty of any such
      offense is not deemed an acquittal of any lesser offense submitted,  but
      is deemed an acquittal of every greater offense submitted.
        5.  Where  the  indictment  charges a crime committed by the defendant
      while he was under the age of sixteen  but  a  lesser  included  offense
      would  be  one  for which the defendant is not criminally responsible by
      reason of infancy, such lessor  included  offense  may  nevertheless  be
      submitted  to  the  jury  in the same manner as an offense for which the
      defendant would be criminally responsible notwithstanding the fact  that
      a verdict of guilty would not result in a criminal conviction.
        6.  For  purposes  of  this section, the offenses of rape in the third
      degree as defined in subdivision three of section 130.25  of  the  penal
      law  and  criminal  sexual  act  in  the  third  degree  as  defined  in
      subdivision three of section 130.40 of the penal  law,  are  not  lesser
      included  offenses  of  rape in the first degree, criminal sexual act in
      the first degree or any other offense.  Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,
      either such offense may be submitted as a lesser included offense of the
      applicable  first  degree offense when (i) there is a reasonable view of
      the evidence which would support a finding that the defendant  committed
      such  lesser  offense  but  did not commit the greater offense, and (ii)
      both parties consent to its submission.