People v Herrnkind
2008 NY Slip Op 01966 [49 AD3d 555]
March 4, 2008
Appellate Division, Second Department
As corrected through Wednesday, May 14, 2008


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

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

Daniel M. Donovan, Jr., District Attorney, Staten Island, N.Y. (Morrie I. Kleinbart and AnneGrady of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Richmond County (Rooney,J.), rendered June 29, 2004, convicting her of manslaughter in the first degree, upon a juryverdict, and imposing sentence.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution (see People vContes, 60 NY2d 620, 621 [1983]; People v Conway, 6 NY3d 869, 872 [2006]), we find that it waslegally sufficient to establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Moreover, uponthe exercise of our factual review power (see CPL 470.15 [5]), we are satisfied that theverdict of guilt was not against the weight of the evidence (see People v Romero, 7 NY3d 633 [2006]; People vBleakley, 69 NY2d 490, 495 [1987]).

The Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in denying the defendant'sapplication for the appointment, pursuant to County Law § 722-c, of a purported expert inthe area of coerced, false confessions, since the defendant failed to establish that the expert'sproposed testimony was necessary or relevant to a significant issue at trial (see People vCronin, 60 NY2d 430, 433 [1983]; People v Casiano, 40 AD3d 528, 529 [2007], lv denied 9NY3d 990 [2007]; People v Oquendo, 250 AD2d 419 [1998]; cf. Ake vOklahoma, 470 US 68, 74 [1985]).

The sentence imposed was not excessive (see People v Suitte, 90 AD2d 80 [1982]).[*2]

The defendant's remaining contention is without merit.Spolzino, J.P., Santucci, Angiolillo and Balkin, JJ., concur.


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