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182 A.D.2d 574

People v. Vera

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · decided 1992-04-28

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently April 1996

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“With respect to defendant’s remaining claims, both of which are wholly unpreserved, reversal is not warranted in the interest of justice. The court’s charge on interested witnesses was, on the whole, fair, and made clear that it was up to the jury to determine whether any of the witnesses could be considered “interested” in the outcome of the ease. The summation remarks of which the defendant now complains were, when read in context, clearly argument, and could not have been misinterpreted as the personal belief of the prosecutor.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Vera v. Hanslmaier

“We find that the People disproved the defense of justification beyond a reasonable doubt. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and giving it the benefit of every reasonable inference, the record establishes that defendant could not have reasonably believed that the deceased was using or about to use deadly physical force which would have justified defendant’s conduct.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Vera v. Hanslmaier

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1992-04-28

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Ivan Warner, J.), rendered November 7, 1990, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of manslaughter in the first degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to a term of imprisonment of 9 to 18 years, unanimously affirmed.

¶2We find that the People disproved the defense of justification beyond a reasonable doubt. Viewing the evidence in the *575light most favorable to the prosecution and giving it the benefit of every reasonable inference (People v Malizia, 62 NY2d 755, cert denied 469 US 932), the record establishes that defendant could not have reasonably believed that the deceased was using or about to use deadly physical force which would have justified defendant’s conduct.

¶3With respect to defendant’s remaining claims, both of which are wholly unpreserved, reversal is not warranted in the interest of justice. The court’s charge on interested witnesses was, on the whole, fair, and made clear that it was up to the jury to determine whether any of the witnesses could be considered "interested” in the outcome of the case. The summation remarks of which defendant now complains were, when read in context, clearly argument, and could not have been misinterpreted as the personal belief of the prosecutor. Concur — Sullivan, J. R, Carro, Kupferman, Kassal and Smith, JJ.

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