People v. Blond

96 A.D.3d 1149, 946 N.Y.S.2d 663

This text of 96 A.D.3d 1149 (People v. Blond) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Blond, 96 A.D.3d 1149, 946 N.Y.S.2d 663 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

Rose, J.P.

Appeals (1) from a judgment of the Supreme Court (R. Sise, J.), rendered July 31, 2009 in Schenectady County, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of rape in the first degree, rape in the third degree, criminal sexual act in the third degree, sexual abuse in the third degree, attempted assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child, [1150]*1150criminal mischief in the third degree and criminal mischief in the fourth degree, and (2) by permission, from an order of the County Court of Schenectady County (Drago, J.), entered August 31, 2010, which denied defendant’s motion pursuant to CPL 440.10 to vacate the judgment of conviction, without a hearing.

Defendant was indicted on 10 counts stemming from his sexual abuse and rape of a 15-year-old victim, his attempted assault with a brick on his wife, who was the victim’s aunt, and property damage he caused to his wife’s vehicle when he repeatedly drove his own vehicle into it. When he was arrested and taken into custody, he also caused property damage to a police vehicle by shattering its window in a violent rage. Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of rape in the first degree, rape in the third degree, criminal sexual act in the third degree, sexual abuse in the third degree, attempted assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief in the third degree and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. Supreme Court (R. Sise, J.) sentenced defendant to an aggregate prison term of 222/s years followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. Defendant’s subsequent motion to vacate the judgment of conviction based on, among other things, ineffective assistance of counsel, was denied by County Court (Drago, J.) without a hearing. Defendant appeals the judgment of conviction and, with this Court’s permission, the order denying his postjudgment motion.

Prior to trial, Supreme Court held a Molineux/Ventimiglia hearing and determined that the People would be allowed to offer evidence of prior domestic violence and abusive behavior by defendant for the purposes of establishing the element of forcible compulsion, providing necessary background information on the nature of the relationship and placing the charged conduct in context (see People v Leeson, 12 NY3d 823, 826-827 [2009] ; People v Shofkom, 63 AD3d 1286, 1287-1288 [2009], lv denied 13 NY3d 799 [2009], appeal dismissed 13 NY3d 933 [2010] ; People v Watson, 281 AD2d 691, 694 [2001], lv denied 96 NY2d 925 [2001]). Defendant concedes that there was a proper nonpropensity purpose for the admission of the evidence, but he argues that the probative value of these prior bad acts was outweighed by their prejudicial nature. We cannot agree. Supreme Court balanced the probative value and prejudicial nature of the evidence by limiting it to specific acts of violence that were witnessed by the victim and occurred after she began residing with defendant and his wife. The evidence has substantial probative value and provided necessary background information regarding the victim’s fear of defendant and result[1151]*1151ing unwillingness to tell anyone about the sexual abuse until after he was in police custody as a result of his most recent violent altercation with his wife (see People v Cass, 18 NY3d 553, 563 [2012]; People v Poquee, 9 AD3d 781, 782 [2004], lv denied 3 NY3d 741 [2004]; People v Tarver, 2 AD3d 968, 969 [2003]). As contemporaneous limiting instructions on the use of such evidence were given twice during the trial, as well as in the final jury charge, any error in failing to give the instructions a third time after the wife’s testimony — a failure that was not called to the court’s attention by counsel — is harmless (see People v Burnell, 89 AD3d 1118, 1121 [2011], lv denied 18 NY3d 922 [2012]).

We next turn to defendant’s allegations that the People failed to establish forcible compulsion with respect to the charge of rape in the first degree, that the verdicts were contrary to the physical evidence and that the victim’s testimony was incredible as a matter of law. In evaluating the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we view it in a light most favorable to the People and will not disturb a verdict as long as there is a “valid line of reasoning and permissible inferences which could lead a rational person to the conclusion reached by the jury” (People v Bleakley, 69 NY2d 490, 495 [1987]; see People v Houghtaling, 79 AD3d 1155, 1156-1157 [2010], lv denied 17 NY3d 806 [2011]). As relevant here, forcible compulsion includes “a threat, express or implied, which places a person in fear of . . . physical injury to . . . herself or another person” (Penal Law § 130.00 [8] [b]). In determining whether an implied threat existed, the jury could consider the victim’s age relative to that of defendant, the relationship between them and the victim’s fear of what defendant might have done if she did not comply (see People v Fulwood, 86 AD3d 809, 810-811 [2011], lv denied 17 NY3d 952 [2011]; People v Hemingway, 85 AD3d 1299, 1301 [2011]).

The People’s evidence established that the victim had witnessed numerous instances of violence by defendant against his wife since she had moved in with the couple in October 2007. During the early morning hours of May 2, 2008, when the victim was 15 years old, the 29-year-old defendant demanded sex and, when she said no, he pulled her pants down, maneuvered her to the floor and held her there while he had intercourse with her. The victim testified that she was afraid to cry out for fear that it would only lead to more physical violence by defendant. The victim’s testimony regarding a number of sexually abusive encounters with defendant during the relatively short time frame in which she resided in his home, her fear of defendant, his use of physical force to hold her down, as well as [1152]*1152the atmosphere of physical violence and intimidation she had witnessed were sufficient to establish the element of forcible compulsion (see People v Coleman, 42 NY2d 500, 505-506 [1977]; People v Fulwood, 86 AD3d at 810-811; People v Porter, 82 AD3d 1412, 1414 [2011], lv denied 16 NY3d 898 [2011]).

A physical examination of the victim performed a few days after the rape revealed recent injuries to her hymen and irritation consistent with the reported sexual activity. The evidence also showed that a pair of the victim’s jeans — which had defendant’s semen on them — were recovered by the police during a search of defendant’s home. Defendant points to no inconsistencies or other aspects of the victim’s testimony that would render it incredible as a matter of law (see People v Galloway, 93 AD3d 1069, 1071-1072 [2012]; People v Shofkom, 63 AD3d at 1287). In short, our review of the record convinces us that the evidence was legally sufficient to satisfy each element of every crime for which defendant was convicted. Furthermore, upon our independent review of the evidence in a neutral light, with due regard to the jury’s credibility determinations (see People v Wright, 81 AD3d 1161, 1163 [2011], lv denied 17 NY3d 803 [2011]), we find that the verdicts are not against the weight of the evidence (see People v Hemingway, 85 AD3d at 1301; People v Battease, 74 AD3d 1571, 1575 [2010], lv denied 15 NY3d 849 [2010]; People v Shofkom, 63 AD3d at 1287).

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Bluebook (online)
96 A.D.3d 1149, 946 N.Y.S.2d 663, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-blond-nyappdiv-2012.