Case Title: Mitchell v. State

Citation: 455 N.E.2d 1131

Docket Number: 283S65

State: indiana

Court: Indiana Supreme Court

Date: 1983-11-23T00:00:00Z

Document:
455 N.E.2d 1131 (1983)
Donald Gene MITCHELL, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Indiana, Appellee.
No. 283S65.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
November 23, 1983.
Susan K. Carpenter, Public Defender, Ihor N. Boyko, Sp. Asst. Public Defender, Indianapolis, for appellant.
*1132 Linley E. Pearson, Atty. Gen., Latriealle Wheat, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for appellee.
PIVARNIK, Justice.
Appellant-Petitioner Donald Gene Mitchell was convicted in the Madison Circuit Court of Rape, Robbery, Entering to Commit A Felony and Automobile Banditry. Upon direct appeal to this Court, Appellant's convictions were affirmed except that his conviction and sentence for Automobile Banditry was vacated. Mitchell v. State, (1977) 266 Ind. 656, 366 N.E.2d 183. Appellant subsequently filed a Petition for Post-Conviction Relief which the Madison Circuit Court denied. Appellant now appeals said denial and raises the following as his sole issue:
1. whether the Prosecutor committed fundamental error by making certain remarks during his final argument which allegedly commented on Appellant's failure to testify during trial.
We first note that Appellant waived a general review of this issue by not properly preserving and raising it on direct appeal. Appellant neither objected to the Prosecutor's first improper comment at trial nor raised this issue in his original motion to correct errors. It is well-settled that the failure to object at trial constitutes waiver of review unless an error is so fundamental that it denied the accused of a fair trial. Pitman v. State, (1982) Ind., 436 N.E.2d 74. Moreover, even issues of a constitutional dimension are waived by failure to state them in one's motion to correct errors. Sidener v. State, (1983) Ind., 446 N.E.2d 965. This Court has held:
Warriner v. State, (1982) Ind., 435 N.E.2d 562, 563; see also Griffin v. State, (1982) Ind., 439 N.E.2d 160. This Court also has held:
Rowley v. State, (1982) Ind., 442 N.E.2d 343, 345. Accordingly, we now consider only whether or not the Prosecutor's comments amounted to fundamental error.
During the State's closing argument the following was recorded:
As the Record indicates, the Prosecutor's comment mentioning Appellant's failure to testify was not objected to when made and no motion for mistrial was made at that time. When Appellant finally did object, his objection did not pertain to said comment but related to Appellant's failure to call certain witnesses. The trial court properly sustained Appellant's objection when proffered and correctly instructed the jury to disregard the improper suggestion. The trial court also ambiguously, if not cryptically, instructed the jury: "That he must not testify."
At the time of the instant trial, Indiana law prohibited counsel from commenting upon a defendant's failure to testify during trial. Ind. Code § 35-1-31-3 (Burns 1979) [repealed effective September 1, 1982] specifically dictated:
In the instant case, Prosecutor Alley clearly erred by making his comment as set out above. This error may have constituted fundamental error but for what transpired during trial after the State's error was committed. Whether by mistake or by design, Appellant did not object to the error when made but allowed the improper comment to be digested by the jury. More significantly, however, Appellant's defense counsel sua sponte discussed the issue in considerable detail during Appellant's final argument. The Record indicates the following was said during Appellant's closing argument:
The trial court's "Conclusion of Law" states:
We agree. We now hold that Appellant voluntarily waived his right to silence on his refusal to testify by failing to timely object to the prosecutor's improper comment and by sua sponte discussing his failure to testify during his final argument. Jones v. State, (1978) 267 Ind. 680, 372 N.E.2d 1182. The prosecutor's error was thereby cured.
In rebuttal, the State responded to the comments made by defense counsel during final argument as follows:
We previously have held:
Marshall v. State, (1982) Ind., 438 N.E.2d 986, 989. Moreover, the trial court is vested with broad discretion in determining the proper scope of final argument. Roose v. State, (1983) Ind., 449 N.E.2d 594. Considering the comments which defense counsel *1135 made during his portion of closing arguments, we find that the trial court did not commit fundamental error by allowing the State to respond during rebuttal as it did to those comments.
Lastly, we note that the prosecutor's error in the instant case was cured by the preliminary and final instructions given to the jury by the trial court without Appellant's objection. We have held that any error attending a prosecutor's statement made during final argument to the effect that the defendant may not have called every possible witness was cured by final instructions correctly stating that the defendant had no obligation to present evidence. Reliford v. State, (1982) Ind., 436 N.E.2d 313. Likewise, we now find that the error which occurred during closing argument in the instant case was cured by preliminary and final instructions telling the jury that Appellant had no obligation to testify, that Appellant's failure to testify could not be considered in determining his guilt or innocence and that Appellant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. See Ind. Code § 35-1-31-3, supra.
Although Appellant's argument concerning the prejudice which may result from an improper comment upon a defendant's refusal to testify is correct and convincing, it is misplaced in this case. Finding no fundamental error, we affirm the trial court in all things.
GIVAN, C.J., and HUNTER and PRENTICE, JJ., concur.
DeBRULER, J., concurs in result.