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People v. Messina

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
May 28, 1996
227 A.D.2d 312 (N.Y. App. Div. 1996)

Opinion

May 28, 1996

Appeal from the Supreme Court, New York County (Antonio Brandveen, J.).


The verdict was supported by legally sufficient evidence and was not against the weight of the evidence. Credibility determinations of the fact finder are entitled to great deference ( People v. Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d 490, 495), and should not be disturbed unless manifestly erroneous ( People v. Corporan, 169 A.D.2d 643, lv denied 77 N.Y.2d 959). Given the strong identification testimony of the People's witnesses and defendant's possession of the prerecorded buy money and additional drugs, the jury was justified in crediting the People's witnesses and rejecting defendant's claim that he was just a drug user whom the police conspired to arrest instead of the true seller.

Concur — Sullivan, J.P., Rosenberger, Ellerin and Mazzarelli, JJ.


Summaries of

People v. Messina

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
May 28, 1996
227 A.D.2d 312 (N.Y. App. Div. 1996)
Case details for

People v. Messina

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. JAMES MESSINA…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department

Date published: May 28, 1996

Citations

227 A.D.2d 312 (N.Y. App. Div. 1996)
643 N.Y.S.2d 336

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