Title: State v. Coleman

State: kansas

Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court

Document:

1 
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF KANSAS 
 
No. 124,223 
 
STATE OF KANSAS, 
Appellee, 
 
v. 
 
DARNELL D. COLEMAN, 
Appellant. 
 
 
SYLLABUS BY THE COURT 
 
1. 
 
 
Premeditation includes both a temporal element (time) and a cognitive element 
(consideration). A prosecutor thus commits error during closing arguments by making 
statements that contradict or obfuscate the cognitive aspect of premeditation by saying 
premeditation only requires time.  
 
2.  
 
Prosecutors err by arguing facts not in evidence.  
 
3. 
Under the facts presented, a prosecutor did not err by downplaying a theory of 
defense because the prosecutor acknowledged there is conflicting evidence and merely 
presented a path for resolving the conflict that favors the State's theory of the case.   
 
4. 
Under the facts, a prosecutor's use of "we don't know" when discussing 
inconclusive evidence was not error and was not an expression of the prosecutor's 
opinion.  
2 
 
5. 
 
To avoid reversible prosecutorial error, the State must demonstrate beyond a 
reasonable doubt that the error complained of will not or did not affect the outcome of the 
trial considering the entire record, i.e., that there is no reasonable probability that the 
error contributed to the verdict. 
 
6. 
 
When jury instructions properly and fairly state the law and are not reasonably 
likely to mislead the jury, no error exists. It is immaterial whether another instruction, 
upon retrospect, was also legally and factually appropriate, even if such instruction might 
have been more clear or more thorough than the one given. 
 
7. 
 
A defendant has a right under the Sixth Amendment to the United States 
Constitution to effective assistance of counsel. Effective assistance includes a right to 
representation unimpaired by conflicts of interest or divided loyalties but, in situations 
with appointed counsel, it does not include the right to counsel of the defendant's 
choosing. When a defendant articulates dissatisfaction with counsel, the trial judge has a 
duty to inquire. Dissatisfaction can be demonstrated by showing a conflict of interest, an 
irreconcilable disagreement, or a complete breakdown in communication between 
counsel and the defendant. 
 
8. 
 
Appellate courts analyzing a claim of cumulative error consider the errors in 
context, the way the trial judge addressed the errors, the nature and number of errors and 
whether they are connected, and the strength of the evidence. If any of the errors being 
aggregated are constitutional, the constitutional harmless error test from Chapman v. 
California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705 (1967), applies. Under that 
3 
test, the party benefitting from the errors must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that 
the cumulative effect of the errors did not affect the outcome. 
 
Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; TYLER J. ROUSH, judge. Oral argument held May 15, 
2023. Opinion filed February 16, 2024. Affirmed. 
 
Jacob Nowak, of Kansas Appellate Defender Office, argued the cause and was on the briefs for 
appellant.  
 
Matt J. Maloney, assistant district attorney, argued the cause, and Marc Bennett, district attorney, 
and Kris Kobach, attorney general, were on the brief with him for appellee. 
 
The opinion of the court was delivered by 
 
LUCKERT, C.J.:  Darnell D. Coleman appeals his conviction of first-degree 
premeditated murder. Coleman asserts: 
 
 (1) The prosecutor who presented the State's initial closing argument and a second 
prosecutor who presented an argument rebutting Coleman's closing erred by making 
incorrect statements of law and fact about premeditation. 
 
(2) The district court committed clear error by failing to give a modified jury 
instruction on premeditation approved by this court in State v. Bernhardt, 304 Kan. 460, 
372 P.3d 1161 (2016), and State v. Stanley, 312 Kan. 557, 478 P.3d 324 (2020). 
 
(3) The district court erred by failing to remove his trial counsel after a complete 
breakdown in communication. 
 
(4) And cumulative error deprived him of a fair trial.  
 
4 
We reject most of Coleman's claims but hold the prosecutors erred during closing 
argument. But prosecutorial error alone does not mandate reversal. Instead, we must 
consider the errors, individually and cumulatively, in the context of all closing 
arguments, the instructions, and the evidence and analyze whether the prosecutorial 
errors affected the jury verdict. After doing so, we conclude beyond a reasonable doubt 
that the prosecutorial errors did not affect the verdict, and we affirm Coleman's 
conviction. 
 
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 
 
In October 2017, the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office responded to a call 
reporting a body found near railroad tracks in a remote, rural area. Officials determined 
Tamsen Kayzer was the victim. 
 
Kayzer and Coleman had been in a long-term on-again-off-again, non-
monogamous relationship. Kayzer's two daughters described the relationship as abusive, 
toxic, and lacking in trust. One daughter told the jury that Coleman would "put his hands 
on [her mother] from time to time," although she was not asked to explain what that 
meant. The other daughter, when asked if she had ever observed Coleman become violent 
toward her mother, replied, "Yes." She also testified that her mother told her Coleman 
had been physically violent. One daughter testified that Coleman kept guns in a closet. 
She also reported seeing Coleman wearing a revolver in his waistband near the time her 
mother died.  
 
The day before Kayzer's body was found, Kayzer used Facebook to arrange a 
sexual encounter with someone other than Coleman. Coleman had access to Kayzer's 
social media accounts and monitored her communications with others, which Kayzer 
knew. Coleman confronted Kayzer in Facebook messages about having sex with 
someone, which Kayzer denied.  
5 
 
Around 10 p.m. that same night, Kayzer went to the home of one of her daughters. 
Coleman showed up soon after. According to Kayzer's daughter, Coleman seemed angry 
and asked whether Kayzer was "done now, are you finished now." Kayzer replied by 
asking what he was talking about. Coleman stared at her and left. About 15 minutes later, 
Coleman returned and asked if Kayzer was coming over to his house. Kayzer's daughter 
interjected that Kayzer had agreed to take her granddaughter to Kayzer's sister's house, 
where Kayzer lived, to spend the night. Coleman drove off like he was mad. Kayzer's 
daughter suspected her mother texted Coleman. After a while, Kayzer grabbed her 
cigarettes and phone and stepped outside. Her daughter was "pretty positive" her mother 
left with Coleman, and she estimated the time to be around 11 p.m. Security footage from 
a nearby apartment building showed Coleman and Kayzer getting into a Chevrolet 
Suburban around that time. About an hour and a half later, a passing train captured video 
of Kayzer's corpse near the railroad tracks.  
 
Kayzer suffered five bullet wounds, three in or near her chest and two to the face. 
Stippling on her clothing and body suggested Kayzer was shot at close range. The crime 
scene investigator believed Kayzer was first shot twice in the face and later in the chest, 
but the coroner could not determine the order in which the wounds occurred.  
 
Evidence collected from the scene included Kayzer's phone and a piece of mail 
addressed to Coleman's daughter. No bullet casings were found, suggesting someone 
collected them or the killer used a revolver.  
 
One of Kayzer's daughters identified Coleman as a potential suspect. Law 
enforcement went to Coleman's apartment and observed a blue Suburban with what 
appeared to be blood splatter. The Suburban was registered to Coleman's mother. 
Investigators found envelopes, mail, and other papers throughout the car. Later testing 
would confirm the blood on the Suburban was Kayzer's. 
6 
 
A search of Coleman's apartment uncovered a box of ammunition that could be 
fired from a revolver. The box was missing six shells.  
 
Law enforcement searched Kayzer's phone and discovered a locally stored copy of 
a Facebook confrontation between Kayzer and Coleman the night she died. Someone 
accessed Kayzer's Facebook account after she died and deleted this conversation, but the 
effort failed to delete the copy stored on her phone. An internet protocol address 
belonging to Coleman logged into Kayzer's account after her death. 
 
Law enforcement also pulled cell phone location data for Coleman's and Kayzer's 
phones. Around 11:23 p.m., Coleman's cell phone pinged to a cell phone tower located 
near the location officers found her body.  
 
At Coleman's trial, the defense used the testimony of Casheena Hadley to explain 
the presence of Kayzer's blood on Coleman's Suburban. Hadley testified she was dating 
Coleman around the time of Kayzer's death. She also told the jury about an incident 
between her and Kayzer that happened two days before Kayzer's death. According to 
Hadley, the confrontation started with a verbal exchange, but it became physical. Hadley 
hit Kayzer in the nose and mouth. Kayzer then spat her blood towards Hadley, who was 
up against Coleman's Suburban. Hadley also claimed Coleman slept at her place the night 
Kayzer died. This testimony differed from her statement to law enforcement the day after 
Kayzer's death. In her out-of-court statement, she told investigators that she slept alone 
the night of Kayzer's death.  
 
Coleman testified in his own defense. He recalled the fight between Hadley and 
Kayzer, and testified he saw blood after Hadley hit Kayzer. Moving to the night of 
Kayzer's death, he explained that he hosted a barbecue at his house. Around 10 or 10:30 
p.m., Coleman drove his son home. Coleman then testified about a series of interactions 
7 
he had with Kayzer that night:  After picking up drugs for Kayzer, he picked her up and 
took her to his house for the barbecue. While at his house, he gave her the drugs, and she 
asked him for a pipe. When he said he did not have one, Kayzer asked him to take her to 
her sister's house so she could take a bath and get a pipe. He dropped her off, thinking she 
would later contact him. She did not call, nor did he.  
 
Coleman conceded that he, and no one else, possessed his phone after he drove 
Kayzer to her sister's house. Coleman threw away his cell phone the morning after 
Kayzer died.  
 
The State called Kayzer's sister on rebuttal. The sister was home the night Kayzer 
died. She was expecting Kayzer to come over with her granddaughter and stayed up until 
around 2 a.m. waiting. Kayzer never came.   
 
The jury convicted Coleman of one count of first-degree premeditated murder. 
The district court imposed a hard 50 life sentence. Coleman timely appealed. Jurisdiction 
is proper. See K.S.A. 60-2101(b) (Supreme Court jurisdiction over direct appeals 
governed by K.S.A. 2022 Supp. 22-3601); K.S.A. 2022 Supp. 22-3601(b)(3) (direct 
appeals to Supreme Court allowed for life sentence crimes). 
 
ANALYSIS 
 
Coleman presents four arguments. The first two are based on errors arising from 
attempts to explain the meaning of premeditation to the jury. First, Coleman alleges error 
arising from the prosecutors' arguments about premeditation. Second, he complains the 
trial judge gave the standard pattern instruction on premeditation and did not expand it to 
include other language this court has approved. He makes this argument even though he 
did not ask the trial judge to give an expanded explanation. Coleman, in his third claim, 
contends the judge should have appointed new counsel for him because he could no 
8 
longer effectively communicate with his trial counsel. Fourth, Coleman argues that if the 
individual errors do not lead us to reverse his conviction, we must do so because 
cumulatively they denied him a fair trial.  
 
At the heart of Coleman's first, second, and, to some extent, his fourth claims, is 
the concept of premeditation. A brief discussion of premeditation will help frame these 
claims.  
 
 Premeditation is "a factual element that relates to the conditions under which the 
culpable mental state of intent was formed." Stanley, 312 Kan. at 568. Those conditions 
include "both a temporal element (time) and a cognitive element (consideration)." 
312 Kan. at 573. By this we mean that premeditation "requires a period, however brief, of 
thoughtful, conscious reflection and pondering—done before the final act of killing—that 
is sufficient to allow the actor to change his or her mind and abandon his or her previous 
impulsive intentions." 312 Kan. at 574.  
 
These concepts were reflected in the pattern jury instructions the trial judge gave 
the jury. One defined premeditation as "to have thought the matter over beforehand, in 
other words, to have formed the design or intent to kill before the act." PIK Crim. 4th 
54.150 (2020 Supp.). That pattern instruction also distinguished premeditated murder 
from an intentional, unpremeditated murder by explaining that "[a]lthough there is no 
specific time period required for premeditation, the concept of premeditation requires 
more than the instantaneous, intentional act of taking another's life." PIK Crim. 4th 
54.150.  
 
Coleman argues the prosecutors conflated the concepts of premeditation and an 
intentional act during their closing arguments. He also argues the judge should have 
expanded the jury instruction to include additional language approved in Stanley and 
Bernhardt, 304 Kan. 460. We turn to those arguments.  
9 
 
ISSUE 1:  HARMLESS PROSECUTORIAL ERROR OCCURRED  
 
Coleman first cites several passages from the prosecutors' closing arguments—
both in the arguments of the prosecutor who presented the State's initial closing argument 
and in the arguments of a second prosecutor who rebutted Coleman's closing argument. 
He contends these passages illustrate that the prosecutors "diluted the cognitive 
component and implied premeditation only requires a temporal element—time to think 
before the act." He also argues the prosecutors, through these misstatements of law, 
denied him a fair trial by confusing and misleading the jury. We agree that some of the 
prosecutors' statements suggested the jury could find Coleman premeditated the murder 
simply because he had time to think about his actions, regardless of whether he did so. 
We thus find prosecutorial error. We conclude, however, that these errors—whether 
considered individually or cumulatively—do not warrant reversal of Coleman's 
conviction. 
 
Standard of Review 
 
In considering these claims of prosecutorial error, we apply a two-step standard of 
review.  
 
First, considering a prosecutor's statements in context, appellate courts ask 
whether the prosecutor stepped outside the wide latitude afforded prosecutors "to conduct 
the State's case in a manner that does not offend the defendant's constitutional right to a 
fair trial." State v. Brown, 316 Kan. 154, 164, 513 P.3d 1207 (2022); State v. Blevins, 
313 Kan. 413, 428, 485 P.3d 1175 (2021). This wide latitude extends to allow 
prosecutors to highlight evidence and discuss inferences reasonably drawn from that 
evidence. State v. Timley, 311 Kan. 944, 949-50, 469 P.3d 54 (2020). But a prosecutor 
may not misstate the law applicable to the evidence, comment on witness credibility, or 
10 
shift the burden of proof to the defendant. State v. Hilt, 307 Kan. 112, 124, 406 P.3d 905 
(2017); see State v. Sherman, 305 Kan. 88, Syl. ¶ 5, 108-09, 378 P.3d 1060 (2016).  
 
If an error is found, appellate courts move to the second step of review to 
determine whether to reverse the defendant's convictions because of the prosecutor's 
error. In that review, appellate courts apply the traditional constitutional harmlessness test 
stated in Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705 (1967). 
See Sherman, 305 Kan. at 109. Under that test, "prosecutorial error is harmless if the 
State can demonstrate 'beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of will not or 
did not affect the outcome of the trial in light of the entire record, i.e., where there is no 
reasonable possibility that the error contributed to the verdict.'" 305 Kan. at 109 
(quoting State v. Ward, 292 Kan. 541, Syl. ¶ 6, 256 P.3d 801 [2011]). 
 
No objection is required to preserve the question of prosecutorial error for 
appellate court review. Blevins, 313 Kan. at 428. That said, "'the presence or absence of 
an objection may figure into our analysis of the alleged misconduct.'" State v. Sean, 306 
Kan. 963, 974, 399 P.3d 168 (2017) (quoting State v. King, 288 Kan. 333, 349, 204 P.3d 
585 [2009]). 
 
Analysis 
 
Turning to the specifics of Coleman's arguments, we find error in three portions of 
the prosecutors' closing argument to the jury.  
 
First, one prosecutor argued:  "The person clearly had time to think before the first 
shot, after the first shot, after the second, after the third, and after the fourth, I want her to 
die." Second, a prosecutor argued:  "You can use your common sense, your experience. 
Bang, when that first round goes off, the cylinder has to rotate. One would assume, 
11 
human nature, there's a reaction, there's a moment there. And then what happens? It's 
followed by two, three, four, and five." And, third, a prosecutor said:  
 
"Again premeditation, this isn't Hollywood. This isn't Good Fellas or whatever 
mafia show. The law does not require a plan. I don't know how many times defense 
counsel kept telling you a plan. A plan. That's not what your instructions say. That's not 
what it says. It does not require a plan. It doesn't have to be schemed, contrived, or 
anything else beforehand. . . . [Y]ou don't have to lay in wait. We heard that expression 
as well. It only requires time. Time to have thought the matter over beforehand. That's it. 
Time. Time is what it takes for premeditation. Time to think it over. Those are my words 
in layman's terms. That's the requirement for premeditation, ladies and gentlemen." 
 
We agree with Coleman's contention that each of these statements was outside the 
wide latitude allowed in argument. Considering that premeditation includes "both a 
temporal element (time) and a cognitive element (consideration)," Stanley, 312 Kan. at 
573, these statements ignore—or at least obfuscate—the cognitive aspect of 
premeditation. They make no mention of the principle that premeditation requires a 
period of thoughtful, conscious reflection and pondering. Stanley, 312 Kan. at 574. 
Instead, they imply that satisfying the temporal aspect can be enough to find premeditated 
murder because, according to the prosecutors, premeditation "only requires time" and 
"[t]ime is what it takes for premeditation."  
 
Granted, at other points in the closing, the prosecutors referred to the need for 
thoughtful, conscious reflection and pondering. But the statements Coleman points to as 
error contradict any statements about needing conscious reflection. Instead, according to 
the prosecutor:  "Time to have thought the matter over beforehand. That's it. Time. Time 
is what it takes for premeditation. Time to think it over. Those are my words in layman's 
terms. That's the requirement for premeditation." These words negated the concept of 
conscious reflection. We thus find these statements misstated the law and were error.  
 
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The prosecutor erred in another way when saying, "You can use your common 
sense, your experience. Bang, when that first round goes off, the cylinder has to rotate. 
One would assume, human nature, there's a reaction, there's a moment there. And then 
what happens? It's followed by two, three, four, and five." In this statement, the 
prosecutor argued facts not in evidence and beyond the common understanding of many 
jurors. Cf. State v. Owens, 314 Kan. 210, 239-40, 496 P.3d 902 (2021) (prosecutor erred 
by arguing facts not in evidence). The prosecutor did not point to any evidence about the 
time it takes for a cylinder to rotate. Instead, the prosecutor asked the jury to apply 
common sense and experience. But the mechanism of how a revolver functions and the 
time it takes for certain actions to occur are not matters of common knowledge and 
experience. The argument invited speculation or reliance on other jurors to fill the 
evidentiary gap when the State should have presented evidence if it wanted jurors to 
consider whether the time it takes to rotate a revolver's cylinder provided Coleman 
sufficient time to deliberate and change his mind or abandon an impulse.  
 
 
On top of these three erroneous passages, Coleman argues the prosecutor erred by 
making other misstatements. Through these other statements, he contends the prosecutor 
implied that premeditation could be instantaneous or even formed after death. He 
supports his argument by comparing the prosecutor's choice of words with arguments in 
other cases in which we held the prosecutor made misstatements of law or fact that 
suggested premeditation could be "instantaneous or virtually so." State v. Morton, 277 
Kan. 575, 585, 86 P.3d 535 (2004) (error to gesture as though firing a gun and saying that 
sufficed to establish premeditation); see State v. Huddleston, 298 Kan. 941, 953, 318 P.3d 
140 (2014) (error to argue premeditation could be formed after event that caused death); 
State v. Hall, 292 Kan. 841, 850-52, 257 P.3d 272 (2011) (error to argue premeditation 
could have formed after the first trigger pull).  
 
We have considered the case-specific words Coleman points to and hold none of 
the statements were prosecutorial errors. We read the arguments as (1) emphasizing how 
13 
quickly premeditation may be formed without suggesting it was instantaneous and 
(2) pointing to the factors that support an inference of premeditation, such as listing the 
actions Coleman took from bringing a gun and driving to a remote area before shooting 
Kayzer. These arguments track others in which we found no prosecutorial error. Cf. State 
v. Moore, 311 Kan. 1019, 1041, 469 P.3d 648 (2020) (no prosecutorial error where 
prosecutor listed evidence, which included defendant's statements before killing and 
purchase of a gun a month before killing); State v. Brownlee, 302 Kan. 491, 518, 
354 P.3d 525 (2015) (no prosecutorial error when prosecutor "pointed out key factual 
intervals supported by the evidence that established premeditation"). 
 
Next, Coleman asserts the State exceeded the wide latitude afforded it by arguing 
the jury should reject any argument that the head shots were fired first. Because Coleman 
presented contrary arguments about the order of the shots and cited expert statements that 
supported his argument, he compares these statements to those in State v. Watson, 
313 Kan. 170, 484 P.3d 877 (2021), where a prosecutor erroneously asked a jury to 
disregard a defendant's theory. Watson presented a distinguishable situation, however. 
In Watson, the State argued no evidence supported a defendant's theory of defense. 
But the defendant's testimony provided support, and we held the prosecutor erred by 
failing to acknowledge the evidence. See Watson, 313 Kan. at 181. In contrast, here the 
prosecutor acknowledged conflicting evidence had been presented. Citing the evidence, 
the prosecutor asked the jury to conclude the evidence did not establish which shot was 
first. Given the prosecutor's discussion of the conflicting evidence, an argument about a 
path for resolving the conflict that favored the State's theory about the order of the shots 
did not exceed the wide latitude prosecutors are afforded.   
Finally, Coleman argues the prosecutor impermissibly injected his opinion in 
closing argument by repeatedly saying "we don't know" which shot was fired first. We 
have not previously discussed whether a prosecutor errs by using the phrase "we don't 
know," although we have some analogous caselaw.  
14 
 
For example, we have recognized and recently reaffirmed that a prosecutor 
exceeds the wide latitude afforded by opining on issues for the jury, including opining on 
the defendant's guilt or on witness credibility. We criticized using "I think" or words of 
similar import as introducing the prosecutor's opinion or view, which is irrelevant to the 
jury's task. We have also determined a prosecutor can err by saying "we know" or using 
similar words because "we" includes the prosecutor and thus, depending on context, 
might state the prosecutor's irrelevant opinion about the evidence. See State v. Alfaro-
Valleda, 314 Kan. 526, 538-40, 502 P.3d 66 (2022). 
 
The use of "I think" or "we know" is not always error, however. In the cases 
discussing "we know," we have drawn a distinction depending on what follows the 
phrase. "We know" followed by a discussion of uncontroverted evidence is not 
prosecutorial error because no opinion is expressed. But "we know" followed by a 
discussion of controverted evidence does involve an expression of opinion on the strength 
of the evidence and thus constitutes prosecutorial error. See Alfaro-Valleda, 314 Kan. at 
539-40. 
 
Here, the disputed "we don't know" statement was in the context of the disputed 
evidence about whether the witness could determine the order of the shots and was not an 
expression of the prosecutor's opinion. Coleman argues the prosecutor expressed an 
opinion that the investigator was not credible when she testified about her belief that the 
murderer first fired the head shots. We disagree. The prosecutor's use of "we don't know" 
merely embraced the uncertainty reflected in the investigator's and the coroner's 
testimony. Both testified that the order of shots could not be determined with certainty. 
The prosecutor did not err by saying "we don't know" to describe inconclusive evidence. 
 
We thus find only three errors, each of which disregarded the cognitive component 
of premeditation. Our next step is to determine whether these errors denied Coleman a 
15 
fair trial. To avoid reversible prosecutorial error, the State must demonstrate "beyond a 
reasonable doubt that the error complained of will not or did not affect the outcome of the 
trial in light of the entire record, i.e., [that] there is no reasonable probability that the error 
contributed to the verdict." Sherman, 305 Kan. 88, Syl. ¶ 8.  
 
The State here asks us to reconsider this standard. It contends the defendant should 
bear the burden to show plain error when the issue is not preserved by a 
contemporaneous objection. The State notes this is the burden applied in federal cases, 
and it asserts this used to be the rule in Kansas before modified in Ward, 292 Kan. at 
568-69. 
 
The State's reliance on federal law is misplaced because Kansas preservation 
requirements differ from federal preservation rules and those rules direct which party 
carries the burden of persuasion. The federal preservation and burden requirements cited 
by the State derive from Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 52. Rule 52(a) provides that 
"[a]ny error, defect, irregularity, or variance that does not affect substantial rights must be 
disregarded." Rule 52(b) defines the standard when no objection is made by stating that 
"[a] plain error that affects substantial rights may be considered." 
 
While Rule 52 does not explicitly define the burden of persuasion, the United 
States Supreme Court has held the reversibility standard in subsection (b) requires a 
defendant to establish that the error affected the verdict, although the Government carries 
the burden when an issue is preserved at trial. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 
734-35, 113 S. Ct. 1770, 123 L. Ed. 2d 508 (1993). "This burden shifting is dictated by a 
subtle but important difference in language between the two parts of Rule 52: While Rule 
52(a) precludes error correction only if the error 'does not affect substantial rights' 
(emphasis added), Rule 52(b) authorizes no remedy unless the error does 'affec[t] 
substantial rights.'" 507 U.S. at 734-35. 
 
16 
The State asks us to apply Olano's discussion of the plain-error standard under 
Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 52(b). In doing so, the State argues this court's 
decision in Ward failed to recognize the federal court's imposition of the burden of 
persuasion on defendants. This argument fails to recognize that the federal courts impose 
the burden on defendants because of wording in Rule 52(b) that differs from the Kansas 
statutory language interpreted in Ward.  
 
Ward applied K.S.A. 60-261, which is phrased like Federal Rule of Criminal 
Procedure 52(a). Compare K.S.A. 60-261 (requiring appellate courts to "disregard all 
errors and defects that do not affect any party's substantial rights") with Fed. R. Crim. 
Proc. 52(a) ("Any error, defect, irregularity, or variance that does not affect substantial 
rights must be disregarded."). Under Rule 52(a), the Government has the burden of 
persuading the appellate court the error was harmless. Olano, 507 U.S. at 735. Ward 
itself considered a motion for mistrial raised during the trial and did not concern an 
unpreserved claim of error. Ward, 292 Kan. at 544. Ward is thus factually 
distinguishable, and it is legally distinguishable from cases applying Rule 52(b) because 
Ward interpreted language like that in Rule 52(a).   
 
The State cites no Kansas authority for placing the burden of persuasion on the 
defendant. Most significantly it cites no statutory basis like Rule 52(b), although the 
Kansas Legislature has shifted the burden to prove harmlessness to a nonobjecting party 
in other situations. See, e.g., K.S.A. 2022 Supp. 22-3414(3) (clear error standard applies 
if party fails to object to jury instruction).  
 
The State does make the point, however, that we have historically applied a "plain 
error" standard in prosecutorial error cases. But that standard differs from Rule 52(b). 
The federal standard requires that an error be clear or obvious at the time of a ruling and 
that the error affect substantial rights. Even then, relief is permissive, not mandatory. 
Olano, 507 U.S. at 734-35. In contrast, in Kansas prosecutorial error cases (then called 
17 
prosecutorial misconduct), the typical recitation of the plain-error standard had three 
requirements, included the Chapman harmless error test, and did not designate which 
party carried the burden of persuasion. This test was stated in State v. Tosh, 278 Kan. 83, 
91 P.3d 1204 (2004), overruled by State v. Sherman, 305 Kan. 88, 378 P.3d 1060 (2016):  
 
"In the second step of the two-step analysis for alleged prosecutorial misconduct 
the appellate court considers three factors to determine if the prosecutorial misconduct so 
prejudiced the jury against the defendant that a new trial should be granted:  (1) whether 
the misconduct is gross and flagrant; (2) whether the misconduct shows ill will on the 
prosecutor's part; and (3) whether the evidence against the defendant is of such a direct 
and overwhelming nature that the misconduct would likely have little weight in the minds 
of the jurors. None of these three factors is individually controlling. Before the third 
factor can ever override the first two factors, an appellate court must be able to say that 
the harmlessness tests of both K.S.A. 60-261 and Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 
S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705 (1967), have been met." 278 Kan. 83, Syl, ¶ 2. 
 
When a decision did designate which party had the burden of showing that 
prosecutorial misconduct did not affect the verdict, it was the State—not the defendant—
that had the burden. See State v. Kleypas, 272 Kan. 894, 1084, 40 P.3d 139 (2001), cert. 
denied 537 U.S. 834 (2002) (discussing prosecutorial misconduct, applying Chapman's 
constitutional error standard, and stating that "[a] constitutional error may be declared 
harmless where the State proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of 
did not contribute to the verdict obtained"). Ward cited Kleypas as an example of 
decisions in which this court had placed the burden of persuasion on the party benefitting 
from an error. Ward, 292 Kan. at 568-69.  
 
The significant difference between the federal test and Kansas' pre-Sherman 
prosecutorial plain error framework undercuts the State's argument that federal law 
supports its view. And, as Kleypas illustrates, our history of applying the Chapman test in 
the context of prosecutorial misconduct, now error, is not on the State's side either.  
 
18 
Finally, we note that the State does not discuss Sherman, 305 Kan. 88, which 
reworked the framework for analyzing prosecutorial error claims and, in doing so, 
imposed the burden to show harmless error on the State. Explaining the need for 
reworking the framework, Sherman discussed the Tosh test and other aspects of the 
"dizzying patchwork of harmlessness and error tests [that] has resulted in significant 
confusion." 305 Kan. at 110. After discussing this history, Sherman imposed the burden 
on the State to prove harmlessness. 305 Kan. at 110-11.  
 
Sherman's review of our caselaw discussed this court's long-honored recognition 
that an objection to prosecutorial error is not necessary. This rule derives, in part, because 
of the "'duty of the district courts in jury trials, to interfere in all cases of their own 
motion, where counsel forget themselves so far as to exceed the limits of professional 
freedom of discussion.'" 305 Kan. at 101 (quoting State v. Gutekunst, 24 Kan. 252, 254, 
1880 WL 976 [1880]). Sherman also discussed "the particularly unique responsibility 
held by those with prosecuting power." 305 Kan. at 99. To impose the burden of 
persuasion on the defendant would shift these duties and responsibilities to the defendant, 
but the State offers no justification for doing so.  
 
After Sherman, we have twice rejected arguments that the standard for analyzing 
prosecutorial error should differ depending on whether the defendant objected at trial. 
See State v. Boothby, 310 Kan. 619, 628, 448 P.3d 416 (2019) ("We have not applied a 
plain error standard when reviewing claims of prosecutorial error and, in keeping with 
Sherman, we decline the State's invitation to adopt the federal plain error standard [to 
claims of judicial comment error] here."); State v. Chandler, 307 Kan. 657, 682-84, 
414 P.3d 713 (2018) (rejecting State's argument that analysis of prosecutorial error 
should change because errors were not objected to at trial).  
 
In summary, the State does not address Sherman's reasoning or our post-Sherman 
caselaw and instead cites only federal authority based on rules that differ from those in 
19 
Kansas. It thus gives us little reason to change our framework for analyzing claims of 
prosecutorial error, and we decline to do so.   
 
Applying our established standard, we conclude there is no reasonable probability 
the three erroneous passages in the prosecutors' closing arguments contributed to the 
verdict. We note, as developed below, that the trial judge instructed the jury on 
premeditation, using a pattern instruction that informed the jury that premeditation 
requires the defendant "to have thought the matter over beforehand." PIK Crim. 4th 
54.150. We presume the jury applied the instruction and weigh that presumption in favor 
of finding a prosecutor's comments harmless. See Brown, 316 Kan. at 170 ("Appellate 
courts often weigh these instructions when considering whether any prosecutorial error is 
harmless."). 
 
Another consideration is the strength of the State's evidence. See 316 Kan. at 171-
72. And, here, the State's evidence of premeditation was strong. In arguing how the 
evidence showed Coleman premeditated the murder, the State also focused on the several 
hours between when Coleman discovered Kayzer's liaison with another man and when 
Kayzer died. The State argued that Coleman began planning the murder hours before she 
died. He got his gun, six bullets, picked her up, drove her 15 miles into the country, got 
out of the car, walked around to Kayzer's door, somehow got her out of the car, then shot 
her five times. The State pointed to various times during the evening the plan could have 
been formed, discussing the Facebook exchanges, Coleman's first visit to the home of 
Kayzer's daughter, the nearly half hour before the second visit to the daughter's house, 
and the drive to a remote country road. The State also established that Coleman tried to 
conceal incriminating evidence after Kayzer's death by accessing Kayzer's Facebook 
account to delete messages and throwing away his phone. See State v. Kettler, 299 Kan. 
448, 467, 325 P.3d 1075 (2014) ("Kansas caselaw identifies factors to consider in 
determining whether the evidence gives rise to an inference of premeditation that include:  
'[1] the nature of the weapon used; [2] lack of provocation; [3] the defendant's conduct 
20 
before and after the killing; [4] threats and declarations of the defendant before and 
during the occurrence; and [5] the dealing of lethal blows after the deceased was felled 
and rendered helpless.").  
 
We are persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt that none of the statements 
complained of here, when considered individually, affected the outcome of the trial. 
Considering the prosecutorial errors in the totality of the record, the context of the errors, 
the number and nature of the errors, and the strength of the evidence, we conclude 
beyond a reasonable doubt that no error individually affected the outcome of the trial. We 
will discuss the cumulative effect of the errors in our discussion of issue 4.  
 
ISSUE 2: NO JURY INSTRUCTION ERROR  
 
In Coleman's second issue, he argues the trial judge erred by not expanding the 
pattern instruction that explains premeditation. The instruction given by the judge 
mirrored the pattern instruction on premeditation:   
 
 
"Premeditation means to have thought the matter over beforehand, in other words, to 
have formed the design or intent to kill before the act. Although there is no specific time 
period required for premeditation, the concept of premeditation requires more than the 
instantaneous, intentional act of taking another's life." PIK Crim. 4th 54.150.  
 
 
At trial, Coleman did not object to this instruction or ask the judge to add any 
language to it. Now on appeal Coleman argues the judge should have included additional 
language that this court has approved of in two other cases—Stanley, 312 Kan. 557, and 
Bernhardt, 304 Kan. 460.  
 
In Bernhardt, the earlier of these two decisions, both the State and the defendant 
requested additional language. The trial judge included language Anson Bernhardt 
requested that focused on the cognitive aspect of premeditation:  "'Premeditation is the 
21 
process of thinking about a proposed killing before engaging in homicidal conduct.'" 
304 Kan. at 465. And the judge added language requested by the State that discussed 
when premeditation can occur and circumstances from which premeditation can be 
inferred:   
 
"'Premeditation does not have to be present before a fight, quarrel, or struggle 
begins. Premeditation is the time of reflection or deliberation. Premeditation does not 
necessarily mean that an act is planned, contrived, or schemed beforehand. 
"'Premeditation can be inferred from other circumstances including:  (1) the 
nature of the weapon used, (2) the lack of provocation, (3) the defendant's conduct before 
and after the killing, (4) threats and declarations of the defendant before and during the 
occurrence, or (5) dealing of lethal blows after the deceased was felled and rendered 
helpless. 
"'Premeditation can occur during the middle of a violent episode, struggle, or 
fight.'" Bernhardt, 304 Kan. at 464. 
 
The Bernhardt majority held the trial judge did not err in adding both requested 
passages. 304 Kan. at 472. But see 304 Kan. at 483 (Johnson, J., dissenting) (concluding 
additions were confusing and contradictory); 304 Kan. at 489 (Luckert, J., dissenting) 
(same).  
 
This court revisited this language in Stanley, 312 Kan. 557. There a majority of the 
court determined the "best practice" would be to use some of the Bernhardt language to 
explain that premeditation "requires more than mere impulse, aim, purpose, or objective. 
It requires a period, however brief, of thoughtful, conscious reflection and pondering—
done before the final act of killing—that is sufficient to allow the actor to change his or 
her mind and abandon his or her previous impulsive intentions." 312 Kan. at 574. But see 
312 Kan. at 574-75 (Luckert, C.J., concurring). Coleman, for the first time on appeal, 
argues the trial judge should have added this language plus more of the language 
approved in Stanley, 312 Kan. at 574, and Bernhardt, 304 Kan. at 472. 
 
22 
Coleman is not the first appellant to argue a trial court erred by not using the 
language approved in Stanley. Like Coleman, these appellants argued we should take a 
step beyond Bernhardt and Stanley and hold a trial judge errs by not giving an expanded 
premeditation instruction, even if not requested to do so at trial. We declined to do so in 
State v. Hilyard, 316 Kan. 326, 335-36, 515 P.3d 267 (2022). Hillyard's reasoning applies 
here as well.  
 
We began our analysis in Hilyard by noting that the instructions as given must 
constitute error for an appellant to succeed. If the jury instructions properly and fairly 
stated the law and were not reasonably likely to mislead the jury, then no error exists for 
this court to correct. See Hilyard, 316 Kan. at 334. In other words, "it is immaterial if 
another instruction, upon retrospect, was also legally and factually appropriate, even if 
such instruction might have been more clear or more thorough than the one given." 
316 Kan. at 334. We concluded the PIK instruction on premeditation accurately sets forth 
the core substance of the legal concept of premeditation. 316 Kan. at 335. The pattern 
PIK instruction standing alone "is legally sufficient and generally not likely to mislead 
the jury." 316 Kan. at 336.  
 
Coleman seeks to distinguish Hilyard because of what he contends were 
prejudicial arguments by the prosecutors that suggested premeditation can be 
instantaneous and merely an intentional act. As we have held, however, the prosecutor's 
argument did not suggest the killing here involved an instantaneous taking of a life. 
Instead, the prosecutor suggested deliberation was required before each shot was fired, 
that Coleman deliberated and committed to action before the first shot, and that Coleman 
remained recommitted with each shot. In other words, the prosecutor's argument as a 
whole suggested that premeditation persisted even after the first shot was fired, not that it 
only formed after the first shot.  
 
23 
Also, the evidence at trial, unlike that in Bernhardt and Stanley, did not include 
evidence of an ongoing dispute in the moments leading up to the fatal acts. Coleman did 
not testify to any dispute. And no one witnessed what occurred in the moments before 
Kayzer's death. There was simply no factual record in this case of an ongoing dispute in 
the moments before Kayzer was shot to suggest the type of instructions provided in 
Bernhardt and Stanley would have been legally or factually appropriate.  
 
Just as in Hilyard, our analysis ends with our holding that the trial judge's 
premeditation instruction was sufficient. The district court did not err, and so there is no 
need to consider prejudice. Hilyard, 316 Kan. at 336. 
 
ISSUE 3:  NO ERROR IN NOT REMOVING TRIAL COUNSEL  
 
In Coleman's next argument, he contends the trial judge should have removed his 
trial counsel. Some additional facts provide the context of his arguments.  
 
Additional Facts 
 
Throughout the court proceedings, when represented by counsel, Coleman had 
appointed counsel. A public defender represented Coleman early in the proceedings. 
Coleman then filed a pro se motion requesting counsel of record be removed. After a 
hearing, the trial judge noted the primary issue was an alleged lack of communication. 
The judge denied the motion. Coleman filed another motion requesting replacement 
counsel again asserting justifiable dissatisfaction. During the hearing, Coleman and his 
counsel referred to disagreements about defenses that might be pursued, including a 
potential alibi defense. The court again denied the motion, finding no justifiable 
dissatisfaction. Following the ruling, Coleman asked to represent himself. The district 
court informed him it would require a written motion if he wanted to pursue self-
representation.  
24 
 
Coleman then filed a written motion to represent himself, and the judge granted 
his motion. After a few months, Coleman asked for and received appointed counsel, with 
the court reappointing the same counsel who represented Coleman before his request to 
represent himself. A few months after that, Coleman again asked to have different 
counsel appointed, alleging a breakdown in communication. The judge expressed concern 
that Coleman would not communicate with other counsel any better than he was with 
current counsel. After some discussion, the judge found an irreconcilable conflict and 
appointed new counsel. The judge cautioned:  "I think it's probably obvious to you from 
our discussion here that this won't go on lawyer after lawyer, that you are going to need 
to be able to work with counsel to the best of your ability in the future."  
 
About six months after the judge appointed another attorney, Coleman filed a pro 
se motion, alleging a complete breakdown of communication with counsel, that counsel 
was not providing adequate representation, and that counsel had not complied with 
Coleman's requests. At the hearing, Coleman reduced his issues with counsel to one:  
"My only issue is the lack of communication." Defense counsel explained the 
investigation was behind schedule because of the investigator's caseload. She requested a 
continuance. The judge concluded that he could not "find that there is a breakdown in 
communication given the circumstances we have here, so I will deny the motion."  
 
A little more than a month later, Coleman again asked the court to remove his 
counsel, alleging a breakdown of communications, a failure to act with reasonable 
diligence, and a failure to follow his instructions about developing his defense. At a 
hearing on the motion, Coleman explained current counsel had not communicated with 
him since the last proceeding. He acknowledged one visit from her investigator to a 
family member, but he said counsel otherwise had not seen him or communicated with 
him since the last hearing. Defense counsel explained that while she had not visited 
Coleman, she had spent the two weeks before the hearing going through thousands of 
25 
pages produced in his case and the last three or four weeks making sure she had 
everything.  
 
The judge recited the legal standard for finding justifiable dissatisfaction with 
existing counsel, "which has been defined as being a conflict of interest, an irreconcilable 
conflict, or a complete breakdown of communication between counsel and the 
defendant." The judge acknowledged "in a perfect world, [defense counsel] would only 
have one client to deal with. She would be able to communicate at whatever rate her 
client thought was appropriate . . . ." Coleman interjected, "Just once a period would be 
fine. She didn't let me know nothing that's going on. . . . She had this case since April . . . 
[t]hat's five months . . . [w]e ain't talked about it one time." Defense counsel interrupted 
to clarify she had met him in person to introduce herself and get his side of the story. The 
judge resumed his ruling, pausing to explain to Coleman his lawyer's role in the case:   
 
"And I am trying to explain to you that may help this make more sense. She is charged 
with defending you. She is charged with preparing for trial. And in an ideal world 
communication would be better. It has not been ideally what I believe—what I would like 
it to be, sir, and not what you would like it to be, but there is a process here where she has 
to communicate with her investigator and have him do the things that she needs him to do 
to prepare for trial. That is a person that works for her at her direction, and she has made 
the point, and I think it is important for you to note, that much of the work—in fact, 
almost all of the work that she will do to prepare for your trial is not done in front of you.  
"So I will not find that there is justifiable dissatisfaction here. It would be my 
request [defense counsel] to summarize the things you have done for Mr. Coleman and 
send him a summary letter at your—as soon as possible, so that Mr. Coleman has some 
insight about all the things you have done.  
"Mr. Coleman, I think you would be surprised at all the things that it takes to 
prepare for a trial of this nature."  
26 
 
Legal Duties and Standard of Review  
 
Against this factual backdrop, we consider Coleman's appellate argument.  
 
A defendant has a right under the Sixth Amendment to the United States 
Constitution to effective assistance of counsel. State v. McDaniel, 306 Kan. 595, 606, 
395 P.3d 429 (2017). Effective assistance includes a right to representation unimpaired 
by conflicts of interest or divided loyalties but, in situations with appointed counsel, it 
does not include the right to counsel of the defendant's choosing. State v. Pfannenstiel, 
302 Kan. 747, 758-59, 357 P.3d 877 (2015). When a defendant articulates dissatisfaction 
with counsel, the trial judge has a duty to inquire. Dissatisfaction can be "'demonstrated 
by showing a conflict of interest, an irreconcilable disagreement, or a complete 
breakdown in communication between counsel and the defendant.[Citations omitted.]'" 
302 Kan. at 759-60. Judges may err in exercising their duty—that is, they commit an 
abuse of discretion—if they (1) fail to conduct an inquiry once aware of a potential 
conflict, (2) fail to conduct an inquiry in an appropriate matter, in other words, fail to 
fully investigate the basis for defendant's dissatisfaction with counsel, or (3) make an 
unreasonable decision based on the facts revealed by an appropriate inquiry. 302 Kan. at 
761-62.  
 
 
Here, Coleman argues the judge unreasonably determined there was no breakdown 
in communication between him and his counsel. But in making this argument, Coleman 
shifts the standard from a complete breakdown in communication to a standard requiring 
an attorney to communicate the details of an attorney's pretrial preparation. For support 
he cites Missouri v. Frye, 566 U.S. 134, 140-45, 132 S. Ct. 1399, 182 L. Ed. 2d 379 
(2012). Frye considered the failure to communicate a pretrial plea offer. A plea offer 
ultimately requires a decision to accept or reject the offer and that is a decision only a 
client can make. The offer thus must be communicated promptly to the client. In contrast, 
27 
Coleman complains that his counsel did not communicate about the investigation and 
strategy decisions made in preparation for trial; these strategy decisions ultimately remain 
the attorney's call. See Bledsoe v. State, 283 Kan. 81, 92, 150 P.3d 868 (2007). We 
decline to extend Frye's requirement to communicate regarding a plea offer to 
communications about other pretrial issues involving strategy decisions the lawyer must 
make.  
 
Without application of this higher standard, the issue before us is whether the trial 
judge abused his discretion by finding there had not been a complete breakdown in 
communication between Coleman and his attorney.  
 
Analysis  
 
"'The focus of the justifiable dissatisfaction inquiry is on the adequacy of counsel 
in the adversarial process, not the accused's relationship with his attorney.'" Pfannenstiel, 
302 Kan. at 761-62 (quoting United States v. Baisden, 713 F.3d 450, 454 [8th Cir. 2013]). 
And, as we have acknowledged, "a lack of communication between a defendant and 
counsel will not always rise to a level of justifiable dissatisfaction." State v. Brown, 305 
Kan. 413, 425, 382 P.3d 852 (2016). Trial judges thus do not abuse their discretion in not 
appointing new counsel if they have "'"'a reasonable basis for believing the attorney-
client relation has not deteriorated to a point where appointed counsel can no longer give 
effective aid in the fair presentation of a defense."'"' 305 Kan. at 425 (quoting State v. 
Bryant, 285 Kan. 970, 986, 179 P.3d 1122 [2008]). An inquiry into justifiable 
dissatisfaction based on a breakdown of communications may ask whether the limited 
communication impeded presentation of the defense. See State v. Staten, 304 Kan. 957, 
972-73, 377 P.3d 427 (2016). 
 
28 
Applying these standards, we find no abuse of discretion. As the State argues, 
Coleman's complaints are like those raised by the defendant in State v. Crum, 286 Kan. 
145, 158-59, 184 P.3d 222 (2008). There, the defendant complained the public defender 
failed to spend sufficient time with him and failed to keep him fully informed about the 
planned defense. Counsel conceded he had not spent much time with the defendant. But 
he explained he had developed a defense and was ready to proceed to trial. Shortly before 
trial, the defendant did more than complain. He formally sought time to retain counsel. 
The court denied the request.  
 
On appeal, we held the defendant failed to establish justifiable dissatisfaction. In 
reaching this holding, we noted that the trial judge questioned both the defendant and his 
appointed counsel. That inquiry resulted in counsel's representation that he was preparing 
for trial and ready to proceed. We summarized the situation:  "Crum's unilateral problem 
stemmed from a dissatisfaction with the amount of time and attention the appointed 
counsel devoted directly to Crum. An attorney's inability to shower as much personal 
attention upon a client as he or she would like does not necessarily rise to the level of a 
conflict of interest." 286 Kan. at 158-59. Coleman's issues here similarly stem from 
dissatisfaction with the amount of counsel's time devoted directly to him and not from a 
complete breakdown in communication.  
 
Coleman also argues the trial judge here erred as a matter of law by concluding at 
the hearing on Coleman's first motion that counsel's ability to meaningfully communicate 
was impacted by the incomplete status of the investigation. He relies on professional 
rules of conduct that require attorneys to keep their clients reasonably informed, to 
promptly comply with reasonable requests for information, and to "explain a matter to the 
extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the 
representation." KRPC 1.4 (communication) (2023 Kan. S. Ct. R. at 332). The foundation 
of this argument fails because the rules of professional conduct do "not constitute 
29 
ineffective and inadequate counsel as a matter of law. [They are] simply one factor to be 
considered as a part of the totality of the circumstances in making a judicial 
determination as to whether an accused has been provided representation by effective 
counsel." State v. Wallace, 258 Kan. 639, 646, 908 P.2d 1267 (1995). This is even more 
true when the complaint involves an alleged lack of communication under KRPC 1.4 
because KRPC 1.4 sets a higher standard than the Sixth Amendment test of a complete 
breakdown in communication. The trial judge did not err by failing to use KRPC 1.4 as 
the standard against which to measure counsel's communication.  
 
Coleman alternatively suggests we should find a breakdown in communication 
because the investigator's failure to make progress could have been caught earlier if 
defense counsel had regular status updates. But the possibility that earlier and more 
regular communication might have caught an issue does not mean the lack of 
communication constituted a complete breakdown in communication establishing 
justifiable dissatisfaction.  
 
Coleman also notes that his counsel did not improve her communication even after 
his repeated complaints and the trial judge's suggestions that counsel do better. The trial 
judge seemed to recognize this, but he also noted that counsel had explained the steps she 
took to prepare Coleman's defense between the hearings. The trial judge implicitly found 
her explanations credible and, while noting that she could have done more to 
communicate with her client, determined the level of communication was not 
unreasonable. Coleman did not receive as much attention as he might have liked, but that 
does not as a matter of law require removing defense counsel from the representation. Cf. 
Crum, 286 Kan. at 158-59. The trial judge thus did not make an error of law.  
 
Nor was the trial judge's decision one with which no reasonable person would 
agree. The trial judge explained his ruling was made in the context of the history of the 
proceedings and the investigation. Coleman had filed several motions and, at the hearings 
30 
on the early motions, Coleman expressed his frustration with and a difference of opinion 
about the proposed defense strategy. The same judge heard all of Coleman's motions and 
had this context. Given the stage of the proceedings, the stage of the investigation, and 
the overall history of the proceedings, we conclude others could agree with the trial 
judge's decision that a complete breakdown in communication had not occurred.  
 
In summary, the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in concluding that things 
had not reached the level of a complete breakdown in communication supporting a 
finding of justifiable dissatisfaction. 
 
ISSUE 4:  CUMULATIVE ERRORS DO NOT CAUSE REVERSAL  
 
Finally, Coleman argues we should consider the cumulative effect of any errors. 
Appellate courts analyzing a claim of cumulative error consider the errors in context, the 
way the trial judge addressed the errors, the nature and number of errors and whether they 
are connected, and the strength of the evidence. If any of the errors being aggregated are 
constitutional, the constitutional harmless error test of Chapman, 386 U.S. 18, applies. 
Under that test, the party benefitting from the errors must establish beyond a reasonable 
doubt that the cumulative effect of the errors did not affect the outcome. State v. Thomas, 
311 Kan. 905, 914, 468 P.3d 323 (2020). 
 
We have held the prosecutors repeatedly committed prosecutorial error during 
closing arguments, but we have found no other errors. Considering the prosecutorial 
errors in the totality of the record, the context of the errors, the number and nature of the 
errors, and the strength of the evidence, we conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the 
cumulative effect of the errors did not affect the outcome. Brown, 316 Kan. at 172-73. As 
we have discussed, the prosecutor accurately stated the law at other points in the closing 
and the trial judge correctly instructed the jury on premeditation. In addition, the State 
outlined convincing evidence of premeditation, including driving to a remote location, 
31 
taking multiple shots at close range, and attempting to conceal evidence of the murder. 
Under the totality of the circumstances, we conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the 
cumulative effect of the errors did not affect the jury's verdict.  
 
We thus affirm Coleman's conviction.  
 
Affirmed.