PEOPLE v. WILLIS (2018)

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

It is hereby ORDERED that the case is held, the decision is reserved and the matter is remitted to Supreme Court, Monroe County, for further proceedings in accordance with the following memorandum:  Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him upon his plea of guilty of manslaughter in the first degree (Penal Law § 125.20[1] ).  We agree with defendant that the waiver of the right to appeal is invalid.  Supreme Court did not elicit the waiver until after defendant had pleaded guilty and, in any event, “the record fails to establish that [the court] engaged him in an adequate colloquy to ensure that the waiver was a knowing and voluntary choice” (People v. Blackwell, 129 A.D.3d 1690, 1690, 12 N.Y.S.3d 425 [4th Dept. 2015], lv denied 26 N.Y.3d 926, 17 N.Y.S.3d 89, 38 N.E.3d 835 [2015] ).  Furthermore, “neither the written waiver of the right to appeal in the record nor the court's brief mention of that waiver during the plea proceeding distinguished the waiver of the right to appeal from those rights automatically forfeited upon a plea of guilty” (People v. Norton, 96 A.D.3d 1651, 1652, 946 N.Y.S.2d 812 [4th Dept. 2012], lv denied 19 N.Y.3d 999, 951 N.Y.S.2d 475, 975 N.E.2d 921 [2012];  see People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 256, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 [2006];  People v. Alston, 101 A.D.3d 1672, 1672, 956 N.Y.S.2d 757 [4th Dept. 2012] ).

We further agree with defendant that the court erred in failing to determine whether he should be afforded youthful offender status (see People v. Rudolph, 21 N.Y.3d 497, 501, 974 N.Y.S.2d 885, 997 N.E.2d 457 [2013];  People v. Quinones, 129 A.D.3d 1699, 1700, 12 N.Y.S.3d 429 [4th Dept. 2015] ).  As the People correctly concede, defendant is an eligible youth, and the sentencing court must make “a youthful offender determination in every case where the defendant is eligible, even where the defendant fails to request it” (Rudolph, 21 N.Y.3d at 501, 974 N.Y.S.2d 885, 997 N.E.2d 457;  see People v. Lester, 155 A.D.3d 1579, 1579, 65 N.Y.S.3d 614 [4th Dept. 2017] ).  We therefore hold the case, reserve decision, and remit the matter to Supreme Court to make and state for the record a determination whether defendant should be afforded youthful offender status (see Rudolph, 21 N.Y.3d at 503, 974 N.Y.S.2d 885, 997 N.E.2d 457;  Lester, 155 A.D.3d at 1579, 65 N.Y.S.3d 614).