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People v. DeGrawPeople v. DeGraw

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
May 27, 1988
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Memorandum: Defendant was convicted of murder in the second degree in the death of his fiancée, Kathy Dunham. The victim was found with 10 .22 caliber bullet wounds ‍‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‍in her head, face, breast, ribs, shoulder and neck. We reject defendant’s claims that proof of intent was legally insufficient to support the murder conviction (see, People v Milea, 112 AD2d 1011, lv denied 66 NY2d 921) and that the court erred by refusing to charge manslaughter in the second degree and criminally negligent homicide as lesser included ‍‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‍offenses (see, People v Hartley, 103 AD2d 935, affd 65 NY2d 703).

Defendant’s claim that he was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel also lacks merit. The record supports the view that a motion to suppress defendant’s statements, if made, would have been unsuccessful, and that the prosecutor’s remarks during summation were either a fair response to the defense summation or ‍‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‍a fair commentary upon the evidence. Hence, any objections to comments on summation also would have been unsuccessful. Viewed in its totality, trial counsel’s representation was meaningful (see, People v Satterfield, 66 NY2d 796, 798-799; People v Torrence, 135 AD2d 1075).

The People satisfied their burden of proving geographic jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence (People v Moore, 46 NY2d ‍‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‍1). The court received a handwritten map merely as a guide to the route the police followed to find the *985victim’s body, and not for venue purposes. Any error in the admission of the printed map of Orleans County was harmless as there is no reasonable likelihood that a different result would have obtained had ‍‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‍the exhibit been excluded. (Appeal from judgment of Orleans County Court, Miles, J. — murder, second degree.) Present — Dillon, P. J., Green, Pine, Balio and Davis, JJ.

Case Details

Case Name: People v. DeGraw
Court Name: Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
Date Published: May 27, 1988
Citations: 140 A.D.2d 984; 529 N.Y.S.2d 656; 1988 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6254
Court Abbreviation: N.Y. App. Div.
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