Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Juel Roundtree, Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2007-03-22
Citations: 38 A.D.3d 385
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Juel Roundtree, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 38
Pages: 385–385

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v Juel Roundtree, Appellant.
[833 NYS2d 19]

Opinion:
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Edwin Torres, J.), rendered November 15, 2005, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of robbery in the third degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to a term of 2V2 to 5 years, unanimously affirmed.
While the court should have avoided singling out the intoxication defense as a matter upon which the jury should "proceed with caution," the charge, viewed as a whole, conveyed the proper standards and did not deprive defendant of a fair trial (see People v Fields, 87 NY2d 821 [1995]). The court carefully instructed the jury on the People's burden of proof, and it never suggested that defendant had any such burden (compare People v Velazquez, 77 AD2d 845 [1980], lv denied 51 NY2d 884 [1980]), or that the court had any opinion on the intoxication issue. Defendant's argument concerning the court's supplemental charge is unpreserved and without merit. Concur—Tom, J.E, Andrias, Sullivan, Williams and Gonzalez, JJ.