People v. Defreitas

• Decision Date: 03 April 2014
• Citation: 984 N.Y.S.2d 423,2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 02350,116 A.D.3d 1078
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Desmond DeFREITAS, Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

116 A.D.3d 1078

984 N.Y.S.2d 423

2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 02350

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent,

v.Desmond DeFREITAS, Appellant.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, New York.

April 3, 2014.

Kindlon Shanks & Associates, Albany (Terence L. Kindlon of counsel), for appellant.

James Sacket, District Attorney, Schoharie (Michael L. Breen of counsel), for respondent.

Before: PETERS, P.J., STEIN, ROSE and EGAN JR., JJ.

EGAN JR., J.

Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Schoharie County (Bartlett III, J.), rendered February 3, 2010, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of burglary in the second degree, criminal sexual act in the third degree, rape in the third degree (two counts) and endangering the welfare of a child (two counts).

Defendant was charged in a 15–count indictment with various crimes based upon allegations that, among other things, he knowingly entered property located at 306 Kingsley Road in the Town of Gilboa, Schoharie County on or about October 22, 2007 with the intent to commit a sexual crime against victim A (born in 1992) and, in conjunction therewith, compelled victim A's sister—victim B—to act as a lookout. Following a lengthy jury trial, defendant was convicted of burglary in the second degree, criminal sexual act in the third degree (victim A), two counts of rape in the third degree (victim A) and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child (victims A and B). Prior to sentencing, defendant moved to set aside the verdict upon the ground that he had been denied the right to a public trial. County Court denied defendant's motion and thereafter sentenced defendant to an aggregate prison term of 12 years followed by 10 years of postrelease supervision. This appeal by defendant ensued.

Defendant initially contends that he was denied the right to a public trial—an argument premised upon the fact that a local attorney who wished to observe defendant's trial met with resistance from a court attendant when he first attempted to enter the courtroom. Assuming this argument has been adequately preserved for our review, we disagree. The case law makes clear that “[a] denial of the public trial right requires an affirmative act by the trial court excluding persons from the courtroom, which in effect explicitly overcomes the presumption of openness” ( People v. Peterson, 81 N.Y.2d 824, 825, 595 N.Y.S.2d 383, 611 N.E.2d 284 [1993];accord People v. Martin, 16 N.Y.3d 607, 613, 925 N.Y.S.2d 400, 949 N.E.2d 491 [2011];see People v. Torres, 97 A.D.3d 1125, 1127, 948 N.Y.S.2d 488 [2012],affd.20 N.Y.3d 890, 956 N.Y.S.2d 474, 980 N.E.2d 523 [2012] ). Here, it is undisputed that County Court did not close the courtroom to spectators, defendant concedes that the attorneyin question, who does not appear to have had any connection to defendant's case, was in fact allowed to enter the courtroom and observe the proceedings ( compare People v. Moise, 110 A.D.3d 49, 54, 970 N.Y.S.2d 220 [2013] ) and the record does not otherwise support defendant's entirely speculative assertion that unidentified members of the public were actually excluded from the proceedings. Accordingly, no violation of defendant's 6th Amendment right to an open trial was established.

Nor are we persuaded that County Court erred in failing to grant defendant's challenges for cause with respect to juror Nos. 5, 10 and 14. Insofar as is relevant here, a juror may be discharged for cause where he or she “has a state of mind that is likely to preclude him [or her] from rendering an impartial verdict based upon the evidence adduced at the trial” or “bears some ... relationship to [a prospective witness or counsel] of such nature that it is likely to preclude him [or her] from rendering an impartial verdict” (CPL 270.20[1][b], [c] ). In this regard, although juror No. 5 indicated that she had read an article about the case shortly before the trial began, she thereafter indicated that she could view the evidence fairly ( see People v. Russell, 55 A.D.3d 940, 941, 865 N.Y.S.2d 143 [2008],lv. denied11 N.Y.3d 900, 873 N.Y.S.2d 276, 901 N.E.2d 770 [2008];cf. People v. Reichel, 110 A.D.3d 1356, 1359, 975 N.Y.S.2d 470 [2013],lv. denied22 N.Y.3d 1090, 981 N.Y.S.2d 675, 4 N.E.3d 977 [2014] ) and nothing in the record suggests that she had formed an opinion as to defendant's guilt or innocence that cast serious doubt upon her ability to render an impartial verdict ( compare People v. Harris, 19 N.Y.3d 679, 685–686, 954 N.Y.S.2d 777, 978 N.E.2d 1246 [2012] ). Similarly, although juror Nos. 10 and 14 each indicated that they knew the Assistant District Attorney prosecuting the case and/or another member of the District Attorney's office, “[n]ot all relationships between a prospective juror and a potential witness or interested party require disqualification for cause as a matter of law” ( People v. Furey, 18 N.Y.3d 284, 287, 938 N.Y.S.2d 277, 961 N.E.2d 668 [2011] ). Rather, “[t]he frequency of contact and [the] nature of the parties' relationship are to be considered in determining whether disqualification is necessary” ( id.;accord People v. Greenfield, 112 A.D.3d 1226, 1228, 977 N.Y.S.2d 486 [2013] ). Based upon our review of the voir dire, we are satisfied that the challenged relationships “were either not particularly close ones or arose in a professional context and thus were not of a type to preclude ... juror [Nos. 10 and 14] from rendering an impartial verdict” ( People v. Molano, 70 A.D.3d 1172, 1174, 894 N.Y.S.2d 589 [2010],lv. denied15 N.Y.3d 776, 907 N.Y.S.2d 464, 933 N.E.2d 1057 [2010];see People v. Thompson, 92 A.D.3d 1139, 1140, 939 N.Y.S.2d 162 [2012],affd.21 N.Y.3d 555, 975 N.Y.S.2d 380, 997 N.E.2d 1232 [2013];compare People v. Smith, 52 A.D.3d 847, 847–848, 860 N.Y.S.2d 621 [2008];People v. Clark, 125 A.D.2d 868, 869, 510 N.Y.S.2d 223 [1986],lv. denied69 N.Y.2d 878, 515 N.Y.S.2d 1026, 507 N.E.2d 1096 [1987] ).

Finally, we cannot say that County Court abused its discretion in denying defendant's additional challenge for cause as to juror No. 14 based upon concerns that the trial schedule would interfere with her employment responsibilities. As this Court has observed, “[s]light interference with employment or inconvenience related to sitting on a jury are insufficient grounds to support a challenge for cause ... [because] almost every potential juror is inconvenienced by taking a week or more away from one's work or normal routine, and ... each has personal concerns which could cause some distraction from [the] trial” ( People v. Wilson, 52 A.D.3d 941, 942, 859 N.Y.S.2d 518 [2008],lv. denied11 N.Y.3d 743, 864 N.Y.S.2d 401, 894 N.E.2d 665 [2008] ). Accordingly, dismissal is not warranted unless the juror indicates that he or she would be distracted or preoccupied to the extent that it would preclude him or her from deliberating in a fair and impartial manner ( cf. People v. Clark, 52 A.D.3d 860, 862–863, 858 N.Y.S.2d 847 [2008],lv. denied11 N.Y.3d 831, 868 N.Y.S.2d 605, 897 N.E.2d 1089 [2008];People v. Danton, 27 A.D.3d 354, 354–355, 811 N.Y.S.2d 68 [2006],lv. denied7 N.Y.3d 754, 819 N.Y.S.2d 880, 853 N.E.2d 251 [2006];People v. Sipas, 246 A.D.2d 408, 408, 668 N.Y.S.2d 31 [1998] ). Here, none of the answers given by juror No. 14 in response to counsels' or County Court's questioning in any way intimated that she would be incapable of rendering an impartial verdict ( cf. People v. Nettles, 88 A.D.3d 492, 493, 931 N.Y.S.2d 16 [2011],lv. denied18 N.Y.3d 861, 938 N.Y.S.2d 868, 962 N.E.2d 293 [2011];People v. Morales, 36 A.D.3d 631, 632, 831 N.Y.S.2d 77 [2007],lv. denied8 N.Y.3d 925, 834 N.Y.S.2d 515, 866 N.E.2d 461 [2007];People v. Butler, 281 A.D.2d 333, 333, 722 N.Y.S.2d 510 [2001],lv. denied96 N.Y.2d 899, 730 N.Y.S.2d 796, 756 N.E.2d 84 [2001] ). Accordingly, County Court did not abuse its discretion in failing to discharge juror No. 14 upon this ground.

Defendant next asserts that County Court improperly curtailed his right to present a defense by, among other things, limiting his efforts to impeach the testimony of George Bird, the State Police investigator involved in this matter. Here, while cross-examining Bird, defense counsel inquired as to whether Bird had attempted to persuade a particular young girl—who was not one of the victims identified in the underlying indictment—to accuse defendant, a family friend, of raping her. Bird admitted questioning the child as to whether defendant ever had sex with her, but he denied that he yelled, pounded on a table or otherwise attempted to coax or coerce a statement from this individual. Defense counsel then called the child as a witness and sought to impeach Bird's credibility by eliciting testimony to the effect that Bird did pound on the table and generally attempted to “browbeat her into accusing [defendant] of sexually abusing her.” Defense counsel also called the child's mother as a witness—seeking to establish that when Bird's alleged efforts to intimidate the child failed, the caseworker who had been present for the underlying interview endeavored to employ similar tactics with the child's mother. In both instances, County Court precluded the sought-after testimony.

“The general rule of evidence in this State concerning the impeachment of witnesses with respect to collateral matters is that the cross-examiner is bound by the answers of the witness to questions concerning collateral matters inquired into solely to affect credibility.... [Hence,] the party who is cross-examining a witness cannot introduce extrinsic documentary evidence or call other witnesses to contradict a witness' answers concerning collateral matters solely for the purpose of impeaching that witness' credibility” ( People v. Pavao, 59 N.Y.2d 282, 288–289, 464 N.Y.S.2d 458, 451 N.E.2d 216 [1983] [internal quotation marks and citation omitted]; see People v. Jimmeson, 101 A.D.3d 1678, 1679, 956 N.Y.S.2d 760 [2012],lv. denied21 N.Y.3d 944, 968 N.Y.S.2d 6, 990...