| People v Williams |
| 2015 NY Slip Op 06273 [130 AD3d 1323] |
| July 23, 2015 |
| Appellate Division, Third Department |
[*1]
| The People of the State of New York, Respondent, vRobert Williams, Appellant. |
Mitch Kessler, Cohoes, for appellant.
P. David Soares, District Attorney, Albany (Christopher D. Horn of counsel), forrespondent.
Clark, J. Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Albany County (Ceresia,J.), rendered March 7, 2014, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crime of murderin the second degree.
Defendant met the victim in February 2013 and considered himself married to heraccording to the tenets of his faith after a religious ceremony on March 12, 2013.Approximately one month later, defendant grew suspicious that the victim was cheatingon him and trying to poison him, and, on May 25, 2013, the couple decided to separate.On the morning of May 27, 2013, defendant went to the victim's apartment in the City ofAlbany and stabbed her to death.
Defendant was charged with one count of murder in the second degree and raised theaffirmative defense of extreme emotional disturbance at the ensuing jury trial. Ultimately,defendant was convicted as charged and sentenced to a prison term of 25 years to life.Defendant now appeals, arguing that the jury's verdict rejecting his defense of extremeemotional disturbance is against the weight of the evidence.
"Where, as here, a different verdict would not have been unreasonable, we willweigh the relative probative force of conflicting testimony and the relative strength ofconflicting inferences that may be drawn" therefrom to determine whether a conviction isagainst the weight of the evidence (People v Chancey, 127 AD3d 1409, 1410 [2015] [internalquotation marks and citations omitted]). As relevant here, a person is guilty of murder inthe second degree when he or she intentionally causes the victim's death (seePenal Law § 125.25 [1]). A defendant who [*2]successfully asserts the defense of extreme emotionaldisturbance, however, is guilty of manslaughter and not murder (see Penal Law§§ 125.20 [2]; 125.25 [1] [a]; People v Roche, 98 NY2d 70,75 [2002]).
To establish an extreme emotional disturbance defense, a defendant must show by apreponderance of the evidence "first, that he or she acted under the influence of anextreme emotional disturbance and, second, that there was a reasonable explanation orexcuse for that disturbance" (People v Roche, 98 NY2d at 76; see PenalLaw §§ 25.00 [2]; 125.25 [1] [a]; People v Chancey, 127AD3d at 1410). The first element is established by proof that the defendant wassubjectively under an extreme emotional disturbance, which usually involves a loss ofself-control (see People vCass, 18 NY3d 553, 561 [2012]; People v Pavone, 117 AD3d 1329, 1331-1332 [2014],lv granted 24 NY3d 963 [2014]). The second, objective, element is established byproof that there was a reasonable explanation for the defendant's emotional disturbance(see People v Roche, 98 NY2d at 76; People v Pavone, 117 AD3d at1332). "[E]vidence demonstrating a defendant's high degree of self-control or theplanned and deliberate character of the underlying attack, as well as any postcrimeconduct suggesting that the defendant was in full command of his or her faculties andhad consciousness of guilt, is entirely inconsistent with an extreme emotional disturbancedefense" (People v Pavone, 117 AD3d at 1332 [internal quotation marks,brackets, ellipses and citations omitted]).
Defendant testified that he believed that the victim was cheating on him because hesaw the victim use a dating website and receive a phone call and text messages fromother men. Defendant further testified that he saw pictures of male genitalia on thevictim's phone, which he showed to his friend, who confirmed the existence of suchpictures at trial. Defendant also suspected that the victim was trying to poison himbecause he became sick after eating meals that she had prepared for him, and he testifiedthat his symptoms were so severe that, on one occasion, he went to the hospital. Oncross-examination, however, defendant revealed that he has many health issues which,one could infer, may have caused his symptoms.
Approximately a week and a half before the crime, defendant began drinking "tonumb [his] pain." Individuals who saw defendant in the days leading up to the crimetestified that he was upset, drank heavily, failed to take his prescribed psychiatricmedications and was contemplating suicide. There was also evidence that defendant hadused the victim's cell phone to send nude photos of her and derogatory remarks about herto various people two to three days before the crime. The People's proof demonstratedthat defendant planned to kill the victim because he stated that he intended to kill her twodays before the crime and called his sister-in-law the evening before the crime to tell herthat there was a "situation" and gave her the victim's name, address and date of birth "incase anything happen[ed]."
Defendant spent the evening before the crime drinking with his neighbor. He hadasked his neighbor not to let him leave if he became intoxicated, but the neighbor passedout and defendant went to the store to buy more alcohol. After staying up all nightdrinking, defendant went to the victim's apartment in the morning while he was stillintoxicated. According to defendant, he entered the apartment with his key, took off hisshoes and greeted the victim, and then they talked in her bedroom while she rolled him acigarette. However, things became heated when they began discussing defendant'ssuspicions. Defendant testified that the victim initiated the violence when she reachedunder a towel that she was sitting on and pulled out a knife. Defendant claimed that hedid not remember stabbing the victim, but when he was asked whether he had to kill thevictim, he responded that he did not have a choice.
Shortly after the crime, defendant went for a walk with his neighbor, admitted to him[*3]that he had killed the victim and stated that the victim"was so evil that the blood didn't even come out." Defendant testified that he sold thevictim's laptop because there "was so much evil in it" and he used the money to buy a busticket to New York City. He took the victim's state identification card with him to NewYork City, which he hid in an empty beer can.
The victim's body was found in a closet in her apartment and was covered in debris,which indicates that defendant may have tried to hide her body. One knife was foundwrapped in a towel and a second knife was found inside a blanket. After the crime,defendant told his sister-in-law that "he had time" and that "they would have to find" thebody. Defendant's concealment of the victim's body and knives indicates that heexercised self-control after stabbing the victim and evidences his consciousness ofguilt.
We find that, in light of the foregoing evidence, a rational jury could havedetermined that defendant was not subjectively operating under the influence of anextreme emotional disturbance if it disbelieved his assertions as self-serving ordetermined that his mental state did not rise to the level of an extreme emotionaldisturbance (see People vMoronta, 96 AD3d 418, 420 [2012], lv denied 20 NY3d 987 [2012]).Additionally, even if we were to assume that the jury determined that defendantsubjectively suffered an extreme emotional disturbance, the jury could have concludedthat defendant's extreme emotional disturbance was not reasonable "so as to entitle himto a reduction of the crime charged from murder in the second degree to manslaughter"(People v Casassa, 49 NY2d 668, 679 [1980], cert denied 449 US 842[1980]). Giving appropriate deference to the jury's ability to view the witnesses andassess their credibility, we find that the verdict rejecting the affirmative defense ofextreme emotional disturbance was not against the weight of the evidence (see Peoplev Chancey, 127 AD3d at 1411; People v Benson, 119 AD3d 1145, 1148 [2014], lvdenied 24 NY3d 1118 [2015]).
Lahtinen, J.P., McCarthy and Rose, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment isaffirmed.