Opinion
2016–06771 Ind. No. 8069/13
07-22-2020
The PEOPLE, etc., respondent, v. Valentin TORRES, appellant.
Janet E. Sabel, New York, N.Y. (Denise Fabiano of counsel), for appellant. Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Leonard Joblove, Caroline R. Donhauser, and Dmitriy Povazhuk of counsel), for respondent.
Janet E. Sabel, New York, N.Y. (Denise Fabiano of counsel), for appellant.
Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Leonard Joblove, Caroline R. Donhauser, and Dmitriy Povazhuk of counsel), for respondent.
REINALDO E. RIVERA, J.P., RUTH C. BALKIN, JOHN M. LEVENTHAL, FRANCESCA E. CONNOLLY, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER
Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Alan Marrus, J.), rendered May 6, 2016, convicting him of murder in the second degree, assault in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
Contrary to the defendant's contention, the Supreme Court provided a meaningful response to two notes from the jury, which asked if a punch could constitute deadly force and if fists were deadly weapons (see People v. Pardo, 175 A.D.3d 1434, 1435, 106 N.Y.S.3d 627 ). The court's supplemental instruction, which answered each question and reminded the jury that it was charged with deciding whether the punch at issue here constituted deadly force, " ‘was fair and balanced, and it did not invade the province of the jury’ " ( People v. Perez, 166 A.D.3d 658, 659, 84 N.Y.S.3d 899, quoting People v. Gibbons, 15 A.D.3d 196, 197, 789 N.Y.S.2d 125 ).
The defendant's contentions concerning the Supreme Court's justification charge and lack of an excessive force instruction to the jury are unpreserved for appellate review (see CPL 470.05[2] ). In any event, based on the evidence presented, the jury was correctly instructed (see People v. Cheeseboro, 52 A.D.3d 526, 860 N.Y.S.2d 126 ).
The defendant's contention that he was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel because his counsel failed to object to the Supreme Court's justification charge is without merit. Since the court's justification charge was proper, defense counsel was not ineffective for failing to make a futile objection (see People v. Johnson, 149 A.D.3d 780, 782, 50 N.Y.S.3d 543 ).
Finally, the sentence imposed was not excessive (see People v. Suitte, 90 A.D.2d 80, 455 N.Y.S.2d 675 ).
RIVERA, J.P., BALKIN, LEVENTHAL and CONNOLLY, JJ., concur.