People v. Peterson

118 A.D.3d 1151, 988 N.Y.S.2d 271

This text of 118 A.D.3d 1151 (People v. Peterson) 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. Peterson, 118 A.D.3d 1151, 988 N.Y.S.2d 271 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Peters, PJ.

Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Ulster County (Williams, J.), rendered November 16, 2012, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of burglary in the second degree, strangulation in the second degree, assault in the third degree, aggravated criminal contempt and criminal contempt in the first degree (two counts).

Defendant and the victim had previously been involved in an [1152]*1152intimate relationship occasioned by incidents of physical violence. On November 29, 2011, defendant arrived at the apartment of the victim, who had obtained an order of protection against him, and proceeded to choke her and strike her repeatedly in the face and body with his fist. He was thereafter charged with various crimes stemming from the attack and, following a jury trial, was convicted of burglary in the second degree, strangulation in the second degree, assault in the third degree, aggravated criminal contempt and two counts of criminal contempt in the first degree. County Court sentenced him to an aggregate prison term of 15 years to be followed by five years of postrelease supervision. Defendant appeals.

Defendant first challenges the legal sufficiency and weight of the evidence supporting his conviction for burglary in the second degree, specifically arguing that the People failed to establish that he intended to commit a crime upon entering the victim’s home. “In burglary cases, the defendant’s intent to commit a crime within the premises may be inferred beyond a reasonable doubt from the circumstances of the entry” (People v Beaty, 89 AD3d 1414, 1416 [2011], affd 22 NY3d 918 [2013] [internal quotation marks and citation omitted]; see People v Perry, 95 AD3d 1444, 1445 [2012], lv denied 19 NY3d 1000 [2012]; People v Rodriguez, 68 AD3d 1351, 1352 [2009], lv denied 14 NY3d 804 [2010]).

The trial evidence established that, despite the order of protection then in effect, defendant and the victim shared Thanksgiving dinner together five days before this incident and spent at least one night together at the victim’s residence during that week. Upon returning home from work on the evening of November 29, 2011, the victim received a message from defendant indicating that he would be coming over to retrieve certain belongings he had left there. She then gathered the items that defendant had left, put them on the counter and floor of her kitchen and went out into the foyer of the apartment building to wait for defendant. According to the victim, defendant came through the front door of her apartment building minutes later with a “red angry face” and, with “force and quickness,” put his hands around her throat, told her to “get in that F’ing bedroom” and pushed her into her apartment. He punched her in the face—causing her to see “stars”—and when she “came to” she was on the fireplace with defendant pulling her toward the bedroom. After trying unsuccessfully to pull the victim up by her hair, defendant then bent down and delivered a number of punches to her stomach. As defendant left the room to get her ice, the victim managed to run out into the [1153]*1153street and flag down a motorist, who took her to a hospital for treatment.

Defendant did not deny assaulting the victim, but claimed that she had initiated contact with him on that day and invited him over for dinner. He stated that, upon arriving at the victim’s residence, she greeted him on the porch and they walked inside the building and into her apartment together. Defendant testified that the victim then began talking about “set[ting] some rules,” which ignited an argument. According to defendant, the victim slapped and scratched him, to which he admittedly responded by punching her in the face “five or six times”—“in the jaw, both her eyes [and] in the head.”

The victim’s description of the violent and unauthorized manner of defendant’s entry, his actions once inside the apartment and the evidence of his prior abusive conduct towards her enabled the jury to reasonably infer that he intended to commit a crime upon entering the victim’s home (see People v Bibbes, 98 AD3d 1267, 1268-1269 [2012], lv denied 20 NY3d 931 [2012]; People v Cajigas, 82 AD3d 544, 545 [2011], affd 19 NY3d 697 [2012]; People v Massey, 45 AD3d 1044, 1046 [2007], lv denied 9 NY3d 1036 [2008]; see also People v Lewis, 5 NY3d 546, 552 [2005]). While defendant points to various inconsistencies in the victim’s testimony, these were fully explored on cross-examination and presented for the jury’s consideration, and we find nothing inherently unbelievable or incredible about her account of the incident (see People v McCray, 102 AD3d 1000, 1003-1004 [2013], affd 23 NY3d 193 [2014]; People v Mateo, 101 AD3d 1458, 1459 [2012], lv denied 21 NY3d 913 [2013]). Further, although a different verdict would not have been unreasonable in light of defendant’s testimony, after considering the evidence in a neutral light and according due deference to the jury’s credibility determinations, we conclude that the verdict on the burglary count is not against the weight of the evidence (see People v Danielson, 9 NY3d 342, 349 [2007]; People v Bleakley, 69 NY2d 490, 495 [1987]).

We reach a similar conclusion with respect to defendant’s convictions for strangulation in the second degree and aggravated criminal contempt. To convict defendant of strangulation in the second degree, the People were required to prove that he applied pressure to the throat or neck of the victim with the intent to impede her normal breathing or circulation of blood, and thereby caused her to suffer stupor or loss of consciousness for any period of time, or any other physical injury or impairment (see Penal Law §§ 121.11, 121.12; People v Carte, 113 AD3d 191, 193 [2013]). To prove that defendant com[1154]*1154mitted the crime of aggravated criminal contempt, the People were required to establish that, in violation of the order of protection in favor of the victim, defendant intentionally or recklessly caused physical injury to her (see Penal Law § 215.52 [1]).

According to the victim, after defendant came through the front door of her building, he immediately put his hands around her throat, applied pressure, and continued to do so as he pushed her into her apartment. The victim explained that, when defendant’s hands were around her neck, she felt “out of sorts” and at a loss for air, and last recalled seeing stars before she “came to” and found herself on the floor. Upon her arrival at a hospital emergency room, a nurse observed “linear markings” on the victim’s neck and noted this finding in her medical records, along with the victim’s statement that she “was strangled.” The evidence established that the victim suffered from multiple abrasions and contusions, and her face was so swollen that she could not open her eyes. The nurse testified that the victim reported a loss of consciousness and had hemorrhaging in one of her eyes, which is a sign of strangulation. A friend of the victim who was present at the hospital emergency room shortly after the attack described the victim’s face as “very disfigured” and testified that her throat was bluish and swollen and appeared to have fingerprint marks on it. Such observations were confirmed by photographs taken at the hospital by the investigating officer.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Lewis
840 N.E.2d 1014 (New York Court of Appeals, 2005)
People v. Fardan
628 N.E.2d 41 (New York Court of Appeals, 1993)
People v. Chiddick
866 N.E.2d 1039 (New York Court of Appeals, 2007)
People v. Danielson
880 N.E.2d 1 (New York Court of Appeals, 2007)
People v. Moore
699 N.E.2d 415 (New York Court of Appeals, 1998)
People v. Davis
923 N.E.2d 1095 (New York Court of Appeals, 2009)
People v. Williams
465 N.E.2d 1251 (New York Court of Appeals, 1984)
People v. Brown
957 N.E.2d 265 (New York Court of Appeals, 2011)
People v. Cajigas
979 N.E.2d 240 (New York Court of Appeals, 2012)
People v. Beaty
999 N.E.2d 535 (New York Court of Appeals, 2013)
People v. McCray
12 N.E.3d 1079 (New York Court of Appeals, 2014)
People v. Santiago
418 N.E.2d 668 (New York Court of Appeals, 1981)
People v. Glover
439 N.E.2d 376 (New York Court of Appeals, 1982)
People v. Bleakley
508 N.E.2d 672 (New York Court of Appeals, 1987)
People v. Cintron
12 A.D.3d 455 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2004)
People v. Robles
28 A.D.3d 233 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2006)
People v. Massey
45 A.D.3d 1044 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2007)
People v. Vaughan
48 A.D.3d 1069 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2008)
People v. Clark
65 A.D.3d 755 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2009)
People v. Thompson
67 A.D.3d 519 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
118 A.D.3d 1151, 988 N.Y.S.2d 271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-peterson-nyappdiv-2014.