Is sufficient as a matter of law for a murder-for-hire?

In the context of this murder-for-hire, the evidence was sufficient as a matter of law. Defendant both planned the killings and took all necessary steps that, if the circumstances had been as defendant believed them to be, would have resulted in the murders. Contrary to defendant's assertions, the impossibility of achieving the crime based on the informant's lack of intent or action in furtherance of the murders is no obstacle to defendant's conviction for the attempted crimes. The sufficiency of the evidence turns on defendant's conduct, not that of the informant (see People v. Denson, 26 N.Y.3d 179, 190, 21 N.Y.S.3d 179, 42 N.E.3d 676 [2015] ["Our analysis with respect to whether a defendant has come dangerously near to completing a crime, however, has focused primarily on the conduct of the defendant ...."]).