People v. Brendan C.
Opinion of the Court
Adjudication unanimously affirmed. Memorandum: Defendant appeals from an adjudication finding him guilty, after a nonjury trial, of assault in the first degree in violation of Penal Law § 120.10 (1). There is no merit to the contention of defendant that the evidence is legally insufficient to establish that the victim sustained a serious physical injury or that defendant intended to inflict that injury. The evidence established that defendant struck the victim on the head with a crowbar while verbally threatening to kill the victim. That blow rendered the victim unconscious. The victim sustained a head laceration that required 18 sutures and caused a permanent scar. He continued to experience headaches and dizziness for several months and has sustained permanent damage to his cutaneous, or sensory, nerves, resulting in numbness on a portion of his head. That proof is sufficient to meet an objective level of serious physical injury for submission to the trier of fact (see, People v Kern, 149 AD2d 187, 213-214, affd 75 NY2d 638, cert denied 498 US 824). We also conclude that the verdict is not contrary to the weight of the evidence (see, People v Bleakley, 69 NY2d 490, 495).
The trial court did not err in refusing to consider reckless assault in the third degree (Penal Law § 120.00 [2]) as a lesser included offense of intentional assault in the first degree (Penal
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.