Case Title: State v. Dillon

Citation: 104 Ariz. 33, 448 P.2d 89

Docket Number: 

State: arizona

Court: Arizona Supreme Court

Date: 1968-12-12T00:00:00Z

Document:
104 Ariz. 33 (1968) 448 P.2d 89 STATE of Arizona and County of Yavapai, bodies politic, Appellees, v. Samuel DILLON, Appellant. No. 1849. Supreme Court of Arizona. In Banc. December 12, 1968. *34 Gary K. Nelson, Atty. Gen., Darrell F. Smith, Then Atty. Gen., by Carl Waag, Asst. Atty. Gen., Eino M. Jacobson, Yavapai County Atty., for Appellees. Head, Cline & Head, by Donald R. Head, Prescott, for appellant. McFARLAND, Chief Justice: Samuel Dillon, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was convicted of rape in the first degree under authority of A.R.S. § 13-611, and sentenced to serve a term not less than five nor more than six years in the Arizona State Penitentiary. From his conviction and sentence he appeals. Defendant met the prosecutrix in Prescott, Arizona. At the time she was searching for her son who she believed had become drunk and wandered off. Dillon promised he could lead her to him. The prosecutrix believed defendant, and went with him in his car searching for her son. He later drove out to a deserted road and raped her. At the trial the substance of defendant's argument was that it was another man who was the perpetrator, and not Dillon. The first contention raised by defendant is that the testimony by a police officer who reported on the story which was related to him by the prosecutrix shortly after the alleged rape was prejudicial. This evidence was not objected to by defendant at the time of the trial. On appeal he contends it is hearsay and for that reason inadmissible. This Court has set forth the rule governing the admissibility of such evidence in State v. McLain, 74 Ariz. 132, 245 P.2d 278: This case also follows the rule laid down in the early Arizona case of Trimble v. Territory, *35 8 Ariz. 273, 71 P. 932, in which the following language was used: In State v. Owen, 94 Ariz. 404, 385 P.2d 700, the prosecution put two witnesses on the stand, both of whom related the story of the rape as told to them by the prosecutrix. This Court stated: In the instant case, there being no objection made to the testimony at the trial, as in State v. Owen, supra, the counsel for defendant apparently considered such statement as a part of the res gestae, and made no objection to its admission. As stated in State v. Taylor, 99 Ariz. 151, 407 P.2d 106: Under the facts of the instant case, we hold the admission of this testimony was not error. Defendant next complained that it was error for the prosecutor in his oral argument to make the statement: We held that attorneys are given wide latitude in their arguments to the jury. State v. Robison, 99 Ariz. 241, 408 P.2d 29. However, in the instant case, defendant did not object to the statement. The failure of a defendant to object to the remarks made by a prosecutor in his closing statement to the jury so that the court may make a correction by proper instruction, results in a waiver of his right to have the argument reviewed. State v. Sowards, 99 Ariz. 22, 406 P.2d 202; State v. Hernandez, 96 Ariz. 28, 391 P.2d 586; State v. Woolery, 93 Ariz. 76, 378 P.2d 751; State v. Chance, 92 Ariz. 351, 377 P.2d 197. The only exception to this rule is where the conduct of the counsel was such that it must be presumed to have resulted in a miscarriage of justice. State v. Smith, 101 Ariz. 407, 420 P.2d 278. The statement made in the instant case was not of such nature. It was merely an argument to the jury of counsel that the nature of the crime was such that a prosecutrix would be so impressed that her identification of defendant was completely reliable. Such remarks did not constitute error under the facts of this case. State v. Robison, supra. Judgment affirmed. UDALL, V.C.J., and BERNSTEIN and LOCKWOOD, JJ., concur. STRUCKMEYER, J., concurs in the results of this decision.