The trial court incorrectly allowed Idrissa Reaves' song to be admitted into evidence and analyzed by a court-qualified "expert in slang" hired by the Kings County District Attorney's Office, Justice Barry E. Warhit of the New York Supreme Court Second Appellate Department said. The expert's "initial interpretations of the lyrics were often varied and reflected the lyrics' inherent ambiguity," yet "precisely and remarkably mirrored the People's exact factual theory of the case," Warhit wrote.