People v Wright
2009 NY Slip Op 04979 [63 AD3d 547]
June 18, 2009
Appellate Division, First Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, August 5, 2009


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

[*1] Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (William A. Loeb of counsel), for appellant.

Robert M. Morgenthau, District Attorney, New York (Lucrece Francois of counsel), for respondent.

Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Richard D. Carruthers, J., at hearing; Daniel P. FitzGerald, J., at plea and sentence), rendered March 3, 2008, convicting defendant of assault in the first degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to a term of eight years, unanimously affirmed.

The court properly found, by clear and convincing evidence, that although a lineup had been suppressed on right to counsel grounds, the victim could make an in-court identification of defendant based upon an independent source (see e.g. People v Robinson, 8 AD3d 95 [2004], lv denied 3 NY3d 742 [2004]). There is no basis for disturbing the court's determinations concerning credibility. The victim had seen defendant numerous times in the neighborhood, and had an ample opportunity to observe him during a 20-minute incident that included several conversations between the two men, and ended when defendant shot the victim.

The surcharges and fees were properly imposed (see People v Guerrero, 12 NY3d 45 [2009]). Concur—Andrias, J.P., Catterson, Renwick, DeGrasse and Freedman, JJ.