Quinton J. Edmonds, 31, of Rochester, appeared in Genesee County Court on Thursday afternoon, along with his attorney Fred Rarick, for a hearing on motions to suppress evidence in the case against him.
Edmonds is currently being held without bail at the Genesee County Jail on a second-degree murder charge in the death of 43-year-old Michael Paladino.
On June 1 at about 12:45 a.m., Edmonds was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with a female on the sidewalk near 5 and 7 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.
Paladino heard the argument and attempted to intervene. A physical altercation then ensued between Paladino and the suspect. During the altercation, Paladino sustained life-threatening injuries.
On Oct. 30th, Edmonds refused to appear in County Court, Rarick apologized to Judge Charles Zambito and scheduled a suppression hearing in his absence.
During today’s hearing, Rarick argued that police did not have probable cause to detain Edmonds and that the “Show Up” procedure was very suggestive.
“Based on the information I was provided -- black male, black and white shirt -- that’s all they had when they detained him,” says Rarick.
District Attorney Larry Friedman called Sgt. Dan Coffey to the stand during the hearing to explain how the incident unfolded at 5-7 Ross St.
Coffey told the court there was a report of a disturbance and a subject down and a subject who possibly had a gun. When police arrived on scene, the victim, Paladino, was located in an enclosed entryway in a pool of blood, unresponsive and seriously injured. The suspect was described by a witness as a black male wearing a colorful shirt, colors of the American flag, Coffey told the court. A second witness said the suspect was walking south, headed toward East Main street with a knife in his hand.
Officer Mitch Cowen had spotted a vehicle turning off of Ross street headed west on East Main and pulled it over; he was in the process of interviewing the two female subjects in the Richmond Library parking lot when there was a visual sighting of the suspect who was on foot. Both female subjects in the vehicle then identified the suspect as they were on Ross Street during the disturbance.
Coffey then told the court that when he approached the Richmond Library parking lot, the suspect was lying on the ground in handcuffs. Coffey then walked the suspect back to his police vehicle at 5-7 Ross St. and placed him in the backseat of the vehicle.
Both witnesses on Ross Street subsequently confirmed that Edmonds was the suspect involved after a “Show Up,” where the witnesses were able to get a look at the suspect in the back of Sgt. Dan Coffey’s police vehicle. Coffey opened the rear door of his police vehicle and shined a flashlight on the suspect who was handcuffed. The witnesses were about 7-10 feet from the suspect.
Sgt. Coffey was wearing a bodycam during the incident and the first 21 minutes of the video was submitted as evidence.
Rarick then questioned if the witnesses watched Sgt. Coffey put the suspect into his police vehicle and if the City of Batavia Police had a policy or procedure for “Show Up” identifications.
Sgt. Coffey says the department does have a policy and procedure and it was followed that night. Rarick then asked why the suspect was not taken back to Batavia Police headquarters for a lineup.
Sgt. Coffey advised Rarick that the Batavia Police Department does not do lineups. Coffey says he wanted to make sure the right person was detained at the scene. Rarick argued that the witnesses did not get a full-body view of the suspect from the rear of the car, just his face.
No blood was on the suspect and a weapon was never recovered.
District Attorney Larry Friedman told the court that Edmonds met the description, was in close proximity to the scene and he left the scene on foot.
“This was an appropriate “ShowUp,” Friedman said.
After learning of the two primary witnesses who identified Edmonds in the vehicle that was pulled over in the Richmond Library parking lot, Rarick says he probably would not have requested a suppression hearing. Rarick says he was not provided with their statements in discovery.
“Under the new discovery guidelines, they would have had to give me all those statements by the ladies that were in the car with him, saying 'that’s the guy that did it,' that’s nowhere in any of the reports. Had the District Attorney come forward with all this stuff, there would have been no need for a suppression hearing,” says Rarick.
Judge Zambito reserved his decision, will review the evidence and will advise of his decision at Edmonds’ next court appearance at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 3.
