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People v. Wallace

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Jul 24, 1989
152 A.D.2d 713 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)

Opinion

July 24, 1989

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Kings County (Pincus, J.).


Ordered that the judgment is modified, on the law, by providing that the terms of imprisonment shall run concurrently with one another; as so modified, the judgment is affirmed.

The defendant contends, inter alia, that the trial court failed to maintain its role as an impartial arbiter. Admittedly, the role of the Trial Judge is not that of an advocate but that of one whose "function is to clarify the issues and to facilitate the orderly and expeditious progress of the proceedings" (People v Robinson, 137 A.D.2d 564; see also, People v Yut Wai Tom, 53 N.Y.2d 44). We note, however, that any issue of law with respect to the defendant's claim was not preserved for appellate review (see, CPL 470.05). In any event, the claim is meritless. For example, when the defense counsel invited the jury to speculate as to why no fingerprint evidence was introduced at trial, it was not error for the trial court to interrupt the defense counsel's summation and instruct the jury not to speculate on such matters (see, People v Hernandez, 143 A.D.2d 842, 844-845).

The defendant also contends that the sentencing court erred when it imposed consecutive indeterminate terms of imprisonment. We agree. At bar, the several counts brought against the defendant were all related to one inseparable event — the defendant's attack upon the victim (see, People v Walsh, 44 N.Y.2d 631, 635; People v Claudio, 130 A.D.2d 759; People v Maldonado, 127 A.D.2d 855). The mere fact that the defendant possessed the gun immediately prior to the attack did not establish sufficient proof of a separate and distinct act so as to justify the imposition of consecutive sentences (cf., People v Robbins, 118 A.D.2d 820). Consequently, the sentences imposed herein must run concurrently (see, Penal Law § 70.25), and the judgment is modified accordingly.

We have considered the defendant's remaining contentions and find them to be without merit or unpreserved for appellate review. Mangano, J.P., Eiber, Sullivan and Balletta, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Wallace

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Jul 24, 1989
152 A.D.2d 713 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)
Case details for

People v. Wallace

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. LARRY WALLACE…

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

Date published: Jul 24, 1989

Citations

152 A.D.2d 713 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)

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