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People v. Williams

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Apr 24, 1989
149 A.D.2d 750 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)

Opinion

April 24, 1989

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


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

The defendant Oswald Williams and his two codefendants, Dwight Bynoe and Sheldon Duke, were jointly tried in connection with the robberies of the two complaining witnesses and the attempted robbery and felony murder of the complainants' companion, Victor Ortiz. The defendant and both codefendants had given the police statements incriminating themselves and each other and had made videotaped confessions. Although only the codefendant Bynoe testified at the trial, the unredacted statements of the defendant and both codefendants were admitted into evidence at their joint trial.

On appeal, the defendant argues, inter alia, that the introduction at trial of the statements of his nontestifying codefendant, Sheldon Duke, constituted a violation of the Confrontation Clause (US Const 6th Amend; see, Bruton v. United States, 391 U.S. 123; see also, Cruz v. New York, 481 U.S. 186, on remand 70 N.Y.2d 733) and that such error requires reversal by this court. We disagree. The defendant's claim in this respect has not been preserved for appellate review as a matter of law (CPL 470.05; see, People v. Russell, 71 N.Y.2d 1016), and we decline to exercise our interest of justice jurisdiction so as to review the contention.

Viewing the evidence in the 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.

We have examined the appellant's remaining contentions and find that they were either unpreserved for appellate review (CPL 470.05) or lacking in merit. Mangano, J.P., Lawrence, Kooper and Sullivan, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Williams

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Apr 24, 1989
149 A.D.2d 750 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)
Case details for

People v. Williams

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. OSWALD WILLIAMS…

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

Date published: Apr 24, 1989

Citations

149 A.D.2d 750 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)