| People v Hakim-Peters |
| 2012 NY Slip Op 00864 [92 AD3d 1030] |
| February 9, 2012 |
| Appellate Division, Third Department |
| The People of the State of New York, Appellant, v KhalilHakim-Peters, Respondent. |
—[*1] Mark J. Gaylord, Schenectady, for respondent.
Kavanagh, J. Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court (R. Sise, J.), entered September 10,2010 in Schenectady County, which, among other things, partially granted defendant's motionpursuant to CPL 330.30 to set aside the verdict convicting him of the crimes of assault in the firstdegree and reckless endangerment in the first degree, without a hearing.
Defendant had a physical altercation with his 12-year-old son and, because the boy wasseriously injured, defendant was subsequently charged by indictment with assault in the firstdegree, assault in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree and endangeringthe welfare of a child. After a jury trial, Supreme Court dismissed the charge of assault in thesecond degree and, while the jury convicted defendant of endangering the welfare of a child, itwas unable to arrive at a verdict as to the remaining charges. A second trial was conducted andthe jury found defendant guilty of assault in the first degree and reckless endangerment in thefirst degree. Defendant moved to set aside this verdict on the ground that the evidence submittedat trial was legally insufficient to establish that, during the altercation, he acted with depravedindifference to human life (see CPL 330.30 [1]).[FN*]Supreme Court agreed and modified the [*2]verdict, setting asidethe convictions rendered by the jury and, in their stead, entered convictions finding defendantguilty of assault in the third degree and reckless endangerment in the second degree. The Peoplenow appeal.
Two issues have been raised on this appeal. First, the People claim that Supreme Courtemployed the wrong standard when it reviewed the evidence submitted at trial and decided tomodify this verdict. The People argue that the court based its decision to modify this verdict noton a finding that the evidence was legally insufficient, but because, in its opinion, the verdict wasnot supported by the weight of the credible evidence introduced at trial. The People also contendthat the evidence at trial was legally sufficient to support the jury's conclusion that defendantacted with depraved indifference to human life during this altercation with his son, and the jury'sverdict as originally rendered should be reinstated.
A defendant, before being sentenced, may move to set aside or modify a guilty verdict on"[a]ny ground appearing in the record which, if raised upon an appeal from a prospectivejudgment of conviction, would require a reversal or modification of the judgment as a matter oflaw by an appellate court" (CPL 330.30 [1]; see People v Sudler, 75 AD3d 901, 904 [2010], lv denied15 NY3d 956 [2010]). Here, defendant's motion called for Supreme Court to set aside the verdictbecause the evidence submitted at trial was, as a matter of law, legally insufficient to support thecharges for which he stands convicted (see CPL 330.30 [1]; see e.g. People v Danielson, 9 NY3d342, 348 [2007]; People vParker, 84 AD3d 1508, 1510 [2011]; People v Bridges, 16 AD3d 911, 912 [2005], lv denied 4NY3d 884 [2005]). In deciding such a motion, the court must view the evidence presented at trialin a light most favorable to the People and then determine if that evidence is legally sufficient tosupport each element of the crimes for which the jury returned a guilty verdict (see People vParker, 84 AD3d at 1510; compare People v Garcia, 272 AD2d 189, 189-190 [2000],lv denied 95 NY2d 889 [2000]). The People claim that when Supreme Court decided thismotion, it only paid lip service to that standard, and modified the verdict because, in its opinion,the verdict was not supported by the weight of the credible evidence. It also argues that the court,in its decision, passed on the credibility of witnesses who testified at trial—in particular,defendant's children who witnessed the attack—and made its own assessment of theircredibility.
We disagree. In its decision, Supreme Court focused on testimony given at trial bydefendant's children and relied on their accounts of what transpired at the time of the altercationbetween defendant and his son. Specifically, the court found that it was significant in terms ofdepraved indifference that the children, in describing the encounter, all recalled "that as soon as[defendant] realized [the victim] had lost consciousness, he picked him up, put him in his lap,and tried to wake him up." In our view, that conclusion represented an accurate summary of thetestimony given by the children at trial, and did not, as claimed by the People, constitute anindependent assessment by the court of their credibility. Also, the court, in deciding the motion,gave the People the benefit of every favorable inference that could, and should, be drawn fromthe evidence introduced at trial, and only then did it conclude that the verdict was not supportedby legally sufficient evidence (see People v Danielson, 9 NY3d at 349).
Further, we find that the evidence introduced at trial was legally insufficient to support afinding that defendant acted with depraved indifference during the altercation with his son, and[*3]Supreme Court's decision granting defendant's motion tomodify the verdict should be affirmed. " 'A verdict is legally sufficient when, viewing the facts ina light most favorable to the People, there is a valid line of reasoning and permissible inferencesfrom which a rational jury could have found the elements of the crime proved beyond areasonable doubt' " (People vBrown, 17 NY3d 863, 865 [2011], quoting People v Danielson, 9 NY3d at 349).Both charges—assault in the first degree and reckless endangerment in the firstdegree—require that it be proven that defendant, "[u]nder circumstances evincing adepraved indifference to human life, . . . recklessly engage[d] in conduct whichcreate[d] a grave risk of death to [his son]" (Penal Law § 120.10 [3]; § 120.25; see People v Lewie, 17 NY3d 348,358 [2011]; People v Battles, 16NY3d 54, 58 [2010], cert denied 565 US —, 132 S Ct 123 [2011]; People v Valencia, 14 NY3d 927,928 [2010]). Depraved indifference is defined as a state of mind in which defendant, by hisactions, demonstrates " 'an utter disregard for the value of human life—a willingness to actnot because one intends harm, but because one simply doesn't care whether grievous harm resultsor not' " (People v Feingold, 7NY3d 288, 296 [2006], quoting People v Suarez, 6 NY3d 202, 214 [2005]). It embodies conduct"so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so devoid of regard of the life or lives ofothers, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the lawimposes upon a person who" intends the particular result (People v Suarez, 6 NY3d at211 [internal quotation marks and citations omitted]; see People v Prindle, 16 NY3d 768, 770 [2011]; People v Taylor, 15 NY3d 518,523 [2010]; People v Feingold, 7 NY3d at 301 [Kaye, Ch. J., dissenting]; People v McLain, 80 AD3d 992,997 [2011], lv denied 16 NY3d 897 [2011]).
Initially, we note that one-on-one altercations rarely will support a finding of depravedindifference (see People v Taylor, 15 NY3d at 522), and it is "even rarer when the otherperson is one's own child" (People v Lewie, 17 NY3d at 359). Here, the evidence at trialestablished that defendant, a devout Muslim, was at home with his children when he had a verbalaltercation with his 12-year-old son that resulted in him shoving the boy and, in his own words,"popping" the child. Both individuals briefly left the room, but returned shortly thereafter as thefamily gathered for evening prayers. At that time, the son voiced objections to the family lifestyleand announced that he wanted to smoke and drink like his friends and join a youth gang.Defendant erupted, "snatched" the boy and threw him to the ground. The other children presenttestified to seeing defendant grab the boy near the neck, throw him to the ground and then, duringa brief altercation, strike his head against the carpeted floor as many as five times. One childrecalled hearing the boy plead with defendant to stop, and all the children testified that defendant,once he realized his son was unconscious, attempted to revive him and provide first aid. Onechild, who was eight years old at the time of the incident, testified that defendant at first left theroom while the boy lay on the floor, but recalled that he returned as soon as he realized the boywas unconscious and immediately told the children to call 911.
There is no doubt that the injuries sustained by defendant's son in this altercation wereserious and life-threatening. However, in our view, defendant's conduct did not rise to the levelof " 'wanton cruelty, brutality or callousness directed against a particularly vulnerable victim,combined with utter indifference to the life or safety of the helpless target' " (People v McLain, 80 AD3d 992,997 [2011], lv denied 16 NY3d 897 [2011], quoting People v Suarez, 6 NY3d 202, 213 [2005]). While defendant'sconduct in slamming his son's head onto the carpeted floor as many as five times in rapidsuccession was deplorable, we agree with Supreme Court's conclusion that his behavior did notconstitute the type of prolonged torturous conduct necessary to support a finding of depravedindifference. Accordingly, Supreme Court's order modifying the verdict should in all respects beaffirmed.[*4]
Mercure, A.P.J., Lahtinen, Spain and Malone Jr., JJ.,concur. Ordered that the order is affirmed. [Prior Case History: 30 Misc 3d 210.]
Footnote *: Defendant moved to dismissthese charges on this ground at both trials to preserve the claim and, in each instance, SupremeCourt reserved on his motion.