FROM: DA HOLLEY CARNRIGHT
DATE: OCTOBER 31, 2019
RE: PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V KHALIL WAHEED
The Appellate Division, Third Department has unanimously affirmed the August, 2017 conviction of Khalil Waheed upon a jury verdict convicting him of the crime of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting a personal injury, a class D felony.
Defendant’s conviction stems from an incident which occurred in the City of Kingston on September 20, 2016, during which the defendant arranged to purchase heroin from the victim and a dispute over the sale ensued. Moments later, the defendant was seen speeding away in a van and the 23 year old victim, who was attempting to retrieve her phone which the defendant had taken from her, was thrown from the vehicle, suffered head injuries which led to her death three days later.
Following a jury trial, defendant was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide, one of the two charges in the indictment, but found guilty of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting a personal injury. Defendant was subsequently sentenced by Supreme Court (Mott, J.) to a state prison term of two to six years and a $3,500 fine.
On appeal, defendant challenged the legal sufficiency of the evidence arguing that the verdict was again the weight of the evidence and that the sentence was unduly harsh and excessive. The Appellate Division, Third Department however, rejected each of these claims and affirmed defendant’s conviction.
On appeal, defendant is represented by Dennis J. Lamb, Esq. of Troy, New York. Tracy Steeves, Esq. handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.