People v Vidal
2007 NY Slip Op 07734 [44 AD3d 802]
October 9, 2007
Appellate Division, Second Department
As corrected through Wednesday, December 12, 2007


The People of the State of New York, Respondent,
v
JorgeVidal, Appellant.

[*1]Lynn W.L. Fahey, New York, N.Y. (Winston McIntosh of counsel), for appellant.

Richard A. Brown, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (John M. Castellano, Nicoletta J.Caferri, and Karen Wigle Weiss of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Latella, J.),rendered June 1, 2005, convicting him of murder in the second degree, tampering with physicalevidence (two counts), and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, upon a juryverdict, and imposing sentence. The appeal brings up for review the denial, after a hearing(Hanophy, J.), of those branches of the defendant's omnibus motion which were to suppressphysical evidence and his statements to law enforcement officials.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

The Supreme Court correctly denied that branch of the defendant's omnibus motion whichwas to suppress his statements to law enforcement officials. We agree with the court's findingthat the defendant's pre-Miranda interview (see Miranda v Arizona, 384 US 436[1966]), was noncustodial in nature. The People made a prima facie showing that the defendantwas not in custody prior to the administration of the Miranda warnings in this case. Thedefendant failed to demonstrate otherwise (see People v Yukl, 25 NY2d 585, 589 [1969],cert denied 400 US 851 [1970]; People v Dillhunt, 41 AD3d 216 [2007]; People v DeJesus, 32 AD3d 753,753-754 [2006]; People v Burns, 18AD3d 397, 397-398 [2005], affd 6 NY3d 793 [2006]).

The Supreme Court also correctly concluded that the defendant's written and videotapedstatements were voluntary, as they were made following his intelligent, voluntary, and knowingwaiver of his Miranda rights (see People v Daniels, 35 AD3d 756, 757 [2006]).[*2]

The defendant's argument that the machete seized as aresult of the videotaped statement should have been suppressed is without merit. The statementwas voluntarily made and thus the physical evidence seized as a result thereof was not tainted (see People v Day, 8 AD3d 495,496 [2004]).

The defendant's contention regarding the Supreme Court's charge on the use of excessiveforce is unpreserved for appellate review (see CPL 470.05 [2]). Miller, J.P., Ritter,Goldstein and Dickerson, JJ., concur.


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