People v. Miller

• Decision Date: 28 March 2014
• Citation: 2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 02163,115 A.D.3d 1302,982 N.Y.S.2d 656
• Parties: The PEOPLE of The State of New York, Respondent, v. Clarence MILLER, Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

115 A.D.3d 1302

982 N.Y.S.2d 656

2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 02163

The PEOPLE of The State of New York, Respondent,

v.Clarence MILLER, Defendant–Appellant.

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

March 28, 2014.

Christine M. Cook, Syracuse, for Defendant–Appellant.

William J. Fitzpatrick, District Attorney, Syracuse (Maria Maldonado of Counsel), for Respondent.

PRESENT: SCUDDER, P.J., CENTRA, PERADOTTO, LINDLEY AND WHALEN, JJ.

MEMORANDUM:

Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him after a jury trial of, inter alia, kidnapping in the second degree (Penal Law § 135.20), criminal use of a firearm in the first degree ( [CUF] § 265.09[1][a] ), criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree ( [CPW] § 265.03 [former (2) ] ), and assault in the second degree (§ 120.05[2] ). Although defendant contends that he was denied a fair trial based on prosecutorial misconduct during opening and closing statements, he did not raise any objection to the allegedly improper comments at trial and thus failed to preserve his contention for our review ( see People v. Lane, 106 A.D.3d 1478, 1480, 966 N.Y.S.2d 307,lv. denied21 N.Y.3d 1043, 972 N.Y.S.2d 540, 995 N.E.2d 856). “In any event, ‘[w]e do not believe that the cumulative effect of the asserted instances of misconduct on the part of the prosecutor prejudiced the verdict and deprived defendant of a fair trial’ and thus reversal is not required” ( People v. Gates, 6 A.D.3d 1062, 1063, 775 N.Y.S.2d 621,lv. denied3 N.Y.3d 659, 782 N.Y.S.2d 701, 816 N.E.2d 574;see People v. Russell, 50 A.D.3d 1569, 1570, 857 N.Y.S.2d 398,lv. denied10 N.Y.3d 939, 862 N.Y.S.2d 346, 892 N.E.2d 412;cf. People v. Calabria, 94 N.Y.2d 519, 522–523, 706 N.Y.S.2d 691, 727 N.E.2d 1245). Defendant further contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel based on defense counsel's failure to object to the allegedly improper comments of the prosecutor. We reject that contention. Defendant failed “ ‘to demonstrate the absence of strategic or other legitimate explanations' for counsel's alleged shortcomings” ( People v. Benevento, 91 N.Y.2d 708, 712, 674 N.Y.S.2d 629, 697 N.E.2d 584), and the record establishes that defense counsel provided meaningful representation to defendant ( see generally People v. Baldi, 54 N.Y.2d 137, 147, 444 N.Y.S.2d 893, 429 N.E.2d 400).

Defendant further contends that County Court erred in admitting in evidence as excited utterances statements made by the victim to an emergency medical technician (EMT). We reject that contention. It is well settled that “[t]he admissibility of an excited utterance is entrusted in the first instance to the trial court. In making that determination, the court must ascertain whether, at the time the utterance was made, the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by an external event sufficient to still his [or her] reflective faculties, thereby preventing opportunity for deliberation which might lead the declarant to be untruthful. The court must assess not only the nature of the startling event and the amount of time which has elapsed between the occurrence and the statement, but also the activities of the declarant in the interim to ascertain if there was significant opportunity to deviate from the truth. Above all, the decisive factor is whether the surrounding circumstances reasonably justify the conclusion that the remarks were not made under the impetus of studied reflection” ( People v. Edwards, 47 N.Y.2d 493, 497, 419 N.Y.S.2d 45, 392 N.E.2d 1229;see People v. Carroll, 95 N.Y.2d 375, 385, 718 N.Y.S.2d 10, 740 N.E.2d 1084). Notably, “the time for reflection is not measured in minutes or seconds, but rather is measured by facts” ( People v. Dalton, 88 N.Y.2d 561, 579, 647 N.Y.S.2d 697, 670 N.E.2d 1328 [internal quotation marks omitted] ).

There is no dispute that there was a period of time between the victim's treatment by the EMT and her statements. During that period of time, however, the victim's child and niece were still in the apartment with defendant, the man who had kidnapped the victim and beaten her with a loaded gun. We thus conclude that “ ‘at the time the utterance[s were] made [the victim] was in fact under the stress of excitement caused by an external event sufficient to still ... her reflective faculties' ..., including both the physical and emotional stress of the [kidnapping and] beating earlier administered by defendant[,] ... the stress of being confined in [an apartment and car] with defendant following the attack,” and the stress of having two small children still in harm's way ( People v. Bryant, 27 A.D.3d 1124, 1126, 815 N.Y.S.2d 372,lv. denied7 N.Y.3d 753, 819 N.Y.S.2d 878, 853 N.E.2d 249, quoting People v. Johnson, 1 N.Y.3d 302, 306, 772 N.Y.S.2d 238, 804 N.E.2d 402).

“By failing to raise a specific objection, defendant has failed to preserve for our review his contention that [the] testimony of [the EMT] constituted bolstering” ( People v. Butler, 2 A.D.3d 1457, 1458, 769 N.Y.S.2d 768,lv. denied3 N.Y.3d 637, 782 N.Y.S.2d 408, 816 N.E.2d 198;see People v. West, 56 N.Y.2d 662, 663, 451 N.Y.S.2d 711, 436 N.E.2d 1313;People v. Comerford, 70 A.D.3d 1305, 1306, 895 N.Y.S.2d 621). In any event, because the statements made by the victim were properly determined to be excited utterances, they did not constitute improper bolstering ( see People v. Stevens, 57 A.D.3d 1515, 1516, 871 N.Y.S.2d 525,lv. denied12 N.Y.3d 822, 881 N.Y.S.2d 29, 908 N.E.2d 937;People v. Simms, 244 A.D.2d 920, 920, 665 N.Y.S.2d 185,lv. denied91 N.Y.2d 897, 669 N.Y.S.2d 12, 691 N.E.2d 1038).

We reject defendant's further contention that the evidence is legally insufficient to support the conviction of kidnapping, CUF, CPW and assault in the second degree. “Although there were minor inconsistencies between the victim's trial testimony and her grand jury testimony, those inconsistencies did not render her testimony incredible as a matter of law” ( People v. Ennis, 107 A.D.3d 1617, 1618, 969 N.Y.S.2d 284,lv. denied22 N.Y.3d 1040, 981 N.Y.S.2d 374), i.e., “it was not impossible of belief because it [was] manifestly untrue, physically impossible, contrary to experience, or self-contradictory” ( People v. Bieganowski, 104 A.D.3d 1276, 1276, 961 N.Y.S.2d 680,lv. denied21 N.Y.3d 1002, 971 N.Y.S.2d 253, 993 N.E.2d 1275 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see People v. Gaston, 100 A.D.3d 1463, 1464, 953 N.Y.S.2d 780).

Viewing the evidence in light of the elements of the crimes of kidnapping, CUF, CPW and assault in the second degree as charged to the jury ( see People v. Danielson, 9 N.Y.3d 342, 349, 849 N.Y.S.2d 480, 880 N.E.2d 1), we conclude that the verdict is not against the weight of the evidence ( see generally People v. Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d 490, 495, 515 N.Y.S.2d 761, 508 N.E.2d 672). “[N]othing in the record suggests that the victim was ‘so unworthy of belief as to be incredible as a matter of law’ or otherwise tends to establish defendant's innocence of those crimes ..., and thus it cannot be said that the jury failed to give the evidence the weight it should be accorded” ( People v. Woods, 26 A.D.3d 818, 819, 810 N.Y.S.2d 274,lv. denied7 N.Y.3d 765, 819 N.Y.S.2d 890, 853 N.E.2d 261;see generally Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d at 495, 515 N.Y.S.2d 761, 508 N.E.2d 672).

Defendant's final challenges concern the sentence. We agree with defendant that the court erred in ordering the sentences imposed on counts one and two, the kidnapping and CUF counts, to run consecutively to the sentence imposed on count three, the CPW count. Defendant's possession of the firearm was not a separate and distinct act from either the kidnapping or the CUF. With respect to the kidnapping count, the threatened use of force element of the kidnapping charge was accomplished because of defendant's possession of the gun with the intent to use it; there would have been no restraint or abduction without that conduct ( see People v. Rivera, 277 A.D.2d 470, 472, 716 N.Y.S.2d 704,lv. denied96 N.Y.2d 833, 729 N.Y.S.2d 454, 754 N.E.2d 214;People v. Phillips, 182 A.D.2d 648, 649, 582 N.Y.S.2d 241,lv. denied79 N.Y.2d 1052, 584 N.Y.S.2d 1020, 596 N.E.2d 418,81 N.Y.2d 765, 594 N.Y.S.2d 728, 610 N.E.2d 401). With respect to the CUF count, one of the elements of that crime is the possession of a loaded deadly weapon, i.e., the very conduct encompassed by the CPW count ( see People v. Laureano, 87 N.Y.2d 640,...