Opinion
03-06-2024
The PEOPLE, etc., respondent, v. Charles BRYANT, appellant.
Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP, Garden City, NY (Donna Aldea and Danielle Muscatello of counsel), for appellant. Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, NY (Aaron M. Spurlock, Johnnette Traill, and Eric C. Washer of counsel), for respondent. Stuart D. Rubin, Brooklyn, NY, former appellate counsel.
Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP, Garden City, NY (Donna Aldea and Danielle Muscatello of counsel), for appellant.
Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, NY (Aaron M. Spurlock, Johnnette Traill, and Eric C. Washer of counsel), for respondent.
Stuart D. Rubin, Brooklyn, NY, former appellate counsel.
COLLEEN D. DUFFY, J.P., ROBERT J. MILLER, WILLIAM G. FORD, LAURENCE L. LOVE, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER
Application by the appellant for a writ of error coram nobis to vacate, on the ground of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, a decision and order of this Court dated April 17, 2007 (People v. Bryant, 39 A.D.3d 768, 834 N.Y.S.2d 305), affirming a judgment of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Hanophy, J.), rendered May 19, 2005. Justices Duffy, Miller, Ford, and Love have been substituted for former Justices Rivera, Skelos, Angiolillo, and Balkin (see 22 NYCRR 1250.1[b]).
ORDERED that the application is granted, and the decision and order of this Court dated April 17, 2007, is vacated; and it is further,
ORDERED that the judgment is modified, on the law, by directing that the terms of imprisonment imposed upon the convictions of intentional murder in the second, degree and robbery in the first degree shall run concurrently with each other; as so modified, the judgment is affirmed.
[1] There is no merit to the defendant’s contentions that his rights to confrontation and a fair trial were violated when the trial court allowed the People to elicit hearsay statements that a nontestifying codefendant had made to a detective. The defense counsel opened the door to such testimony (see People v. Simpson, 256 A.D.2d 205, 206, 682 N.Y.S.2d 376; People v. Kourani, 256 A.D.2d 620, 622, 683 N.Y.S.2d 570). In addition, the testimony at issue was not received for its truth, but, rather, to rebut the testimony of the defendant that his own confession was coercively derived (see Tennessee v. Street, 471 U.S. 409, 105 S.Ct. 2078, 85 L.Ed.2d 425; People v. Reynoso, 2 N.Y.3d 820, 781 N.Y.S.2d 284, 814 N.E.2d 456; People v. Ewell, 12 A.D.3d 616, 617, 786 N.Y.S.2d 545; People v. Garcia, 2 A.D.3d 821, 322, 768 N.Y.S.2d 606). Further, the jury was pointedly instructed by the court twice that "the testimony is not being admitted for the truth," and the jury is presumed to have followed such admonition (see People v. Davis, 58 N.Y.2d 1102, 1104, 462 N.Y.S.2d 816, 449 N.E.2d 710).
[2] The defendant’s contention that the evidence was legally insufficient to establish his guilt of intentional murder in the second degree is unpreserved for appellate review (see People v. Gray, 86 N.Y.2d 10, 629 N.Y.S.2d 173, 652 N.E.2d 919; People v. Udzinski, 146 A.D.2d 245, 250, 541 N.Y.S.2d 9). In any event, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution (see People v. Contes, 60 N.Y.2d 620, 467 N.Y.S.2d 349, 454 N.E.2d 932), we find that it was legally sufficient to establish that the defendant intended to cause the death of the victim (see People v. Brown, 262 A.D.2d 569, 693 N.Y.S.2d 606; People v. Hernandez, 257 A.D.2d 664, 665, 684 N.Y.S.2d 573; People v. Angarita, 247 A.D.2d 397, 667 N.Y.S.2d 923). Here, intent can be inferred from the defendant’s conduct and the surrounding circumstances (see People v. Bracey, 41 N.Y.2d 296, 301, 392 N.Y.S.2d 412, 360 N.E.2d 1094).
[3] The defendant’s contention that the prosecutor’s allegedly improper questions during cross-examination and comments during summation constituted reversible error is unpreserved for appellate review (see CPL 470.05[2]; People v. Anderson, 24 A.D.3d 460, 805 N.Y.S.2d 655; People v. Williams, 303 A.D.2d 772, 757 N.Y.S.2d 445). In any event, the prosecutor’s questioning of the defendant on cross-examination and suggestion during summation that he tailored his testimony after hearing the testimony of the prosecution’s witnesses was not unduly prejudicial (see Portuondo v. Agard, 529 U.S. 61, 120 S.Ct. 1119, 146 L.Ed.2d 47; People v. Siriani, 27 A.D.3d 670, 811 N.Y.S.2d 127; People v. Allien, 302 A.D.2d 468, 469, 753 N.Y.S.2d 738; People v. Lowery, 281 A.D.2d 491, 491–492, 721 N.Y.S.2d 775). Further, the prosecutor’s attack on the credibility? of the defendant was not unduly prejudicial and does not require reversal (see People v. Portalatin, 18 A.D.3d 673, 674, 795 N.Y.S.2d 334).
[4] The defendant’s challenge to his sentence as unconstitutional under (Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435) is unpreserved for appellate review (see People v. Crosby, 33 A.D.3d 719, 821 N.Y.S.2d 908, lv denied 8 N.Y.3d 845, 830 N.Y.S.2d 703, 862 N.E.2d, 795; People v. Stokes, 290 A.D.2d 71, 77, 736 N.Y.S.2d 781, cert denied 537 U.S. 859, 123 S.Ct. 230, 154 L.Ed.2d 97) and, in any event, is without merit. The Supreme Court did not engage in any fact-finding, but instead made a legal determination based on facts already found by the jury (see People v. Pritchett, 29 A.D.3d 828, 829, 814 N.Y.S.2d 281; People v. Lloyd, 23 A.D.3d 296, 298, 805 N.Y.S.2d 20).
[5, 6] Under the circumstances, former appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to contend on appeal that the People failed to establish that the act constituting the use of a dangerous instrument with respect to the charge of robbery in the first degree was separate and distinct from the act that caused the victim’s death with respect to the charge of murder in the second degree (intentional murder) (see People v. Parks, 95 N.Y.2d 811, 815, 712 N.Y.S.2d 429, 734 N.E.2d 741; People v. Underwood, 52 N.Y.2d 882, 883, 437 N.Y.S.2d 299, 418 N.E.2d 1317). The Supreme Court should have directed that the sentence imposed upon the conviction of robbery in the first degree was to run concurrently with the sentence imposed upon the conviction of intentional murder in the second degree (see People v. Laureano, 87 N.Y.2d 640, 643, 642 N.Y.S.2d 150, 664 N.E.2d 1212; People v. Roman, 279 A.D.2d 485,. 486, 719 N.Y.S.2d 583; People v. Fullan, 237 A.D.2d 619, 619–620, 655 N.Y.S.2d 644, mod 92 N.Y.2d 690, 685 N.Y.S.2d 901, 708, N.E.2d 974; People v. Marro, 225 A.D.2d 796, 797, 640 N.Y.S.2d 163; People v. Perez, 212 A.D.2d 814, 815, 612 N.Y.S.2d 620; People v. German, 139 A.D.2d 529, 530, 526 N.Y.S.2d 803).
The sentence imposed, as modified, was not excessive (see People v. Suitte, 90 A.D.2d 80, 455 N.Y.S.2d 675).
The defendant’s remaining contentions are without merit.
DUFFY, J.P., MILLER, FORD and LOVE, JJ., concur.