From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

People C. v. Abrew

Court of Appeals of the State of New York
Jun 8, 2000
95 N.Y.2d 806 (N.Y. 2000)

Opinion

Argued May 3, 2000.

Decided June 8, 2000.

APPEAL, by permission of an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, from an order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the Second Judicial Department, entered June 7, 1999, which affirmed (1) a judgment of the Supreme Court (Frederick D. R. Sampson, J., at suppression hearing; James E. Robinson, J., at trial), rendered in Queens County upon a verdict convicting defendant of robbery in the first degree (two counts), robbery in the second degree, assault in the first degree (two counts) and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and (2) a resentence of the same court, subsequently imposed.

Appellate Advocates, New York City (De Nice Powell and Lynn W. L. Fahey of ocunsel), for appellant.

Richard A. Brown, District Attorney of Queens County, Kew Gardens (Kenneth V. Byrne, John M. Casrellano and Nicole Beder of counsel, for respondent.


MEMORANDUM.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

The Trial Court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's request to call the complainant to testify at theWade hearing (see, People v. Taylor, 80 N.Y.2d 1, 15). The hearing evidence revealed no substantial constitutional question as to the suggestiveness of the lineup that would necessitate the complainant's testimony (see, People v. Chipp, 75 N.Y.2d 327, 337-338, cert denied 498 U.S. 833). Defendant argues that, prior to viewing the lineup, the complainant may have seen a "wanted" poster containing a sketch of the perpetrator created by the complainant and a police artist. The poster was displayed in a prominent location in the station house. He contends that if the complainant saw the poster, his lineup identification of defendant may have been rendered unduly suggestive. Defendant, however, failed to lay a foundation for this claim. He did not question the police witness at the hearing about the poster's location at the station house, or inquire whether the complainant was in proximity to it prior to the lineup. Further, defendant presented no evidence to support his theory that viewing the sketch could have tainted the lineup identification, where the sketch was based solely on the complainant's own recollections of the perpetrator.

Defendant points to the complainant's trial testimony as evidence that he may have seen the wanted poster. However, defendant may not rely on trial testimony to support his challenge to the court's ruling at the Wade hearing (see, People v. Dodt, 61 N.Y.2d 408, 417). Nor did he move to reopen the Wade hearing following the complainant's trial testimony.

Defendant's conviction for Assault in the First Degree (Penal Law § 120.10) was not an inclusory concurrent count of his conviction for Robbery in the First Degree (Penal Law § 160.15). The assault charge required the infliction of serious physical injury "in furtherance of" the underlying felony (here, the robbery) — an element not required by the robbery charge. Thus, the assault was not a "lesser offense included within the greater" (CPL 300.30).

At the time of the offense, Robbery in the First Degree was a class B felony, and Assault in the First Degree was a class C felony. Thus, the assault was an offense of lower classification, one of the requirements for an inclusory concurrent count (see, CPL 300.30[4]). Effective November 1, 1996, first-degree assault was reclassified as a class B felony (L 1996, ch 646, § 2).

Defendant's remaining contentions are without merit.

Order affirmed, in a memorandum. Chief Judge Kaye and Judges Bellacosa, Smith, Levine, Ciparick, Wesley and Rosenblatt concur.


Summaries of

People C. v. Abrew

Court of Appeals of the State of New York
Jun 8, 2000
95 N.Y.2d 806 (N.Y. 2000)
Case details for

People C. v. Abrew

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE C., RESPONDENT, v. JOSE ABREW, APPELLANT

Court:Court of Appeals of the State of New York

Date published: Jun 8, 2000

Citations

95 N.Y.2d 806 (N.Y. 2000)
710 N.Y.S.2d 833
732 N.E.2d 940

Citing Cases

People v. Highsmith

The defendant's supporting papers were conclusory and failed to set forth factual allegations sufficient to…

People v. Highsmith

60[3][b]; People v Garay, 25 N.Y.3d 62, 72; People v Mendoza, 82 N.Y.2d 415, 426). Further, the defendant…