THE RECORD WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO EVALUATE THE CLAIM DEFENSE COUNSEL’S FAILURE TO IMPEACH THE DETECTIVE’S TESTIMONY WITH AN INCONSISTENT STATEMENT CONCERNING THE IDENTIFICATION OF DEFENDANT AMOUNTED TO INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE; DEFENSE COUNSEL’S “PRE-PEOPLE V BOONE” FAILURE TO REQUEST A CROSS-RACIAL IDENTIFICATION JURY INSTRUCTION DID NOT AMOUNT TO INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE (CT APP).
he Court of Appeals, affirming defendant’s conviction, over a concurring opinion, determined the record was not sufficient to demonstrate defense counsel’s failure to impeach the defective’s testimony with inconsistencies concerning the identification of defendant amounted to ineffective assistance. And the failure to request the cross-racial identification jury instruction, at a time when the instruction was discretionary (before People v Boone, 30 NY2d 521 (2017)), did not amount to ineffective assistance:
We cannot conclude that counsel’s failure to impeach Detective Morales with his suppression hearing testimony that the victim was unsure if defendant was the gunman establishes ineffective assistance of counsel. “The lack of an adequate record bars review on direct appeal wherever the record falls short of establishing conclusively the merit of the defendant’s claim” … .
… [T]or the reasons set forth in People v Watkins (decided today), the failure to request a cross-racial identification instruction prior to this Court’s decision in People v Boone (30 NY3d 521 [2017]), which made such an instruction mandatory upon request, does not alone amount to ineffective assistance of counsel. People v Lucas, 2024 NY Slip Op 02843, CtApp 5-23-24
Practice Point: The record was insufficient to evaluate the claim that defense counsel was ineffective for failure to impeach the detective’s testimony with an inconsistent statement concerning the identification of the defendant.
Practice Point: At the time of this pre People v Boone trial a cross-racial identification jury instruction was discretionary. Defense counsel’s failure to request the charge did not amount to ineffective assistance.