Citation Numbers: 132 A.D.2d 725, 517 N.Y.S.2d 306, 1987 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 49258
Judges: Main
Filed Date: 7/2/1987
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 10/28/2024
Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Broome County (Coutant, J.), rendered April 26, 1984, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of manslaughter in the first degree, manslaughter in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child.
The facts of the death of the victim in this case, defendant’s four-year-old daughter, are set forth in our recent decision which affirmed the conviction of defendant’s husband in connection with this homicide (People v Neer, 129 AD2d 829). The
Defendant’s remaining objection to the summation is that the prosecutor improperly stated to the jury that the victim’s death cried out for justice. County Court recognized the impropriety of this statement as appealing to the jurors’ emotions (cf., People v Simmons, 110 AD2d 666, 667) and instructed the jury that their duty was to consider the case in an objective and careful manner and to avoid the temptation to react emotionally to the case. Given the quantum and nature of the proof presented at trial and the fact that the court acted promptly after defense counsel’s objection to remedy any prejudicial effect, we cannot say that the prosecutor’s statement substantially prejudiced defendant’s trial (see, People v Wood, 66 NY2d 374, 379-380; People v Roopchand, 107 AD2d 35, 36, affd 65 NY2d 837).
Lastly, after careful review and factual analysis of this record, we conclude that the jury verdict is supported by legally sufficient evidence and was not contrary to the weight of the evidence. Accordingly, the judgment must be affirmed.
Judgment affirmed. Kane, J. P., Main, Mikoll, Yesawich, Jr., and Harvey, JJ., concur.