People v. Efferson

Dec 30, 2002
Reporters:
,

—Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Reichbach, ‍​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‍J.), rendered August 1, 2000, convicting him of rape in the first degree and sodomy in the first degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.

Ordered that the ‍​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‍judgment is affirmed.

To the extent that the defendant’s objections were preserved for appellate review, the prosecutor’s challenged remarks for the most part either constituted fair response to ‍​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‍defense counsel’s summation (see People v Phillips, 285 AD2d 477, 478), or were cured by the court sustaining the defendant’s objection and providing instruction to the jury (see People v ‍​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‍Burrell, 178 AD2d 422). To the extent that any inappropriate remarks remained uncured, they were harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt (see People v Stith, 291 ‍​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‍AD2d 576; People v Ryant, 278 AD2d 345). Ritter, J.P., Goldstein, Crane and Mastro, JJ., concur.