People v. White
Court of Appeals of New York
590 N.E.2d 236 (1992)
Walter White (defendant) was charged with killing his wife in their apartment, wrapping her body in a bedspread, and hiding it in a closet for a week. At trial White testified that his wife had emotionally abused and humiliated him for weeks in a violent, dysfunctional relationship, and he requested a jury instruction on the affirmative defense of extreme emotional disturbance. The trial court denied the instruction, the jury convicted White, and the appellate court affirmed. The Court of Appeals of New York then reviewed the denial of the instruction.
Whether a jury instruction on extreme emotional disturbance is proper where there is sufficient evidence for a jury to find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the elements of the defense were established.