People v. Pasley

Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Joan C. Sudolnik, J), rendered April 29, 2004, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of murder in the second degree, and sentencing him to a term of 25 years to life, affirmed.

The People’s evidence showed that, on a subway station staircase, defendant approached the 18-year-old victim, grabbed a gold chain from around his neck, and simultaneously slashed his throat with a box cutter, inflicting a fatal wound. At trial, *428defendant asserted a justification defense, claiming that he had acted to defend himself in response to alleged menacing by the…