People v. Owens

OPINION OF THE COURT

David D. Egan, J.

This is a death penalty case. Three months elapsed between defendant’s initial arraignment on noncapital murder charges, inter alia, second degree (depraved indifference) murder, in *318June 1999, and the People’s formal notification to the defendant that he would be charged with first degree murder in September 1999.1 Almost a full year later and only one week before a jury panel of 700 prospective jurors was summoned to appear in early September 2000, defendant brought this motion arguing he was denied effective assistance of counsel since he did not have…