Court Opinion

ID: 4658023
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2021-02-05 21:09:06.197922+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:08:37.345337
License: Public Domain

People v Prather (2021 NY Slip Op 00672)

People v Prather

2021 NY Slip Op 00672

Decided on February 5, 2021

Appellate Division, Fourth Department

Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.

This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports.

Decided on February 5, 2021
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department

PRESENT: CENTRA, J.P., PERADOTTO, NEMOYER, WINSLOW, AND BANNISTER, JJ.

70 KA 19-00491

[*1]THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, RESPONDENT,
vZIYKEYUN PRATHER, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT. 

THE LEGAL AID BUREAU OF BUFFALO, INC., BUFFALO (BARBARA J. DAVIES OF COUNSEL), FOR DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.
JOHN J. FLYNN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, BUFFALO (MICHAEL J. HILLERY OF COUNSEL), FOR RESPONDENT. 

	Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Erie County (Russell P. Buscaglia, A.J.), rendered January 15, 2019. The judgment convicted defendant upon a plea of guilty of murder in the second degree. 
It is hereby ORDERED that the judgment so appealed from is unanimously affirmed.
Memorandum: Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him upon his plea of guilty of murder in the second degree (Penal Law
§ 125.25 [1]). As defendant contends and the People correctly concede, defendant's waiver of the right to appeal is invalid (see People v Thomas, 34 NY3d 545, 564-568 [2019], cert denied — US &mdash, 140 S Ct 2634 [2020]; People v Johnson, 182 AD3d 1036, 1036 [4th Dept 2020], lv denied 35 NY3d 1046 [2020]). The better practice is for Supreme Court "to use the Model Colloquy, which 'neatly synthesizes . . . the governing principles' " (People v Dozier, 179 AD3d 1447, 1447 [4th Dept 2020], lv denied 35 NY3d 941 [2020], quoting Thomas, 34 NY3d at 567; see NY Model Colloquies, Waiver of Right to Appeal). Nevertheless, we reject defendant's contention that the sentence is unduly harsh and severe.
Entered: February 5, 2021
Mark W. Bennett
Clerk of the Court