People v. Bing
This case involves a Huntley hearing concerning the admissibility of statements made by defendant Bruce Bing to the police. A robbery-burglary occurred on May 17, 1985, at St. Joachim’s Church in Cedarhurst, Nassau County. Based on information from a reliable confidential informant and an eyewitness description, Detective Glenn Dowd and Detective Joseph Brand arrested Bruce Bing on May 25, 1985. Bing was Mirandized and confessed to the crime, both orally in the police car and in a written statement at the precinct. The defense challenged the voluntariness of the confession due to alleged drug withdrawal symptoms and argued a violation of Bing's right to counsel, citing his existing legal representation in Ohio for unrelated charges. The court found the informant reliable, established probable cause for the arrest, and concluded that Bing's statements were voluntarily given and admissible. The court also determined that the defendant's out-of-state legal representation on an out-of-state charge did not trigger New York's indelible right to counsel.