From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

People v. Sansalone

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Oct 4, 1993
197 A.D.2d 549 (N.Y. App. Div. 1993)

Opinion

October 4, 1993

Appeal from the County Court, Westchester County (LaCava, J.).


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

The defendant was convicted, among other things, of burglary in the second degree, after being identified by the victim who saw him climbing in through the window of her home. Contrary to the defendant's assertions on appeal, the hearing court correctly found that circumstances warranted the stop, protective frisk, and temporary detention of the defendant when he was found in close spatial and temporal proximity to the crime and matched in all material aspects the description given by the victim. Thus, the pocket knife found on his person was properly admitted into evidence (see, People v. Hicks, 68 N.Y.2d 234; People v Benjamin, 51 N.Y.2d 267; People v. Brnja, 50 N.Y.2d 366; People v Mack, 26 N.Y.2d 311, cert denied 400 U.S. 960; People v. Hopper, 163 A.D.2d 418; CPL 140.50). Further, the showup held immediately thereafter was not unduly suggestive and testimony concerning it was likewise properly held admissible (see, People v. Duuvon, 77 N.Y.2d 541; People v. Riley, 70 N.Y.2d 523; People v. Love, 57 N.Y.2d 1023).

To the degree that the defendant's arguments concerning discrepancies in the testimony elicited at trial can be interpreted as a challenge to the legal sufficiency of the evidence, the lack of specificity in his motion for a trial order of dismissal renders this issue unpreserved for appellate review (see, People v. Bynum, 70 N.Y.2d 858; People v. Sherrod, 181 A.D.2d 700). In any event, viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution (see, People v. Contes, 60 N.Y.2d 620), we find that it was legally sufficient to establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Indeed, the challenged testimony merely raised issues of credibility and the weight to be accorded the evidence, the resolution of which is primarily a question for the jury, which saw and heard the witnesses (see, People v. Gaimari, 176 N.Y. 84). Its determination should be accorded great weight on appeal and should not be disturbed unless clearly unsupported by the record (see, People v. Garafolo, 44 A.D.2d 86, 88). Upon the exercise of our factual review power, we are satisfied that the verdict was not against the weight of the evidence (see, CPL 470.15).

The sentence was neither harsh nor excessive (see, People v Suitte, 90 A.D.2d 80).

The defendant's remaining contentions, included those raised in his supplemental pro se brief, are either unpreserved for appellate review or without merit. Thompson, J.P., Miller, Santucci and Joy, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Sansalone

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Oct 4, 1993
197 A.D.2d 549 (N.Y. App. Div. 1993)
Case details for

People v. Sansalone

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. SALVATORE SANSALONE…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Oct 4, 1993

Citations

197 A.D.2d 549 (N.Y. App. Div. 1993)
602 N.Y.S.2d 197

Citing Cases

PEOPLE v. SOSA

In People v. Alford, 146 AD2d 635, 536 NYS2d 848 (2nd Dept. 1989) reasonable cause for a stop, frisk and…

People v. Smith

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed. The defendant and his codefendant were apprehended about a block away…