Title: State v. Anderson

State: arizona

Issuer: Arizona Supreme Court

Document:

110 Ariz. 238 (1973) 517 P.2d 508 The STATE of Arizona, Appellee, v. Robert Austin ANDERSON, Jr., Appellant. No. 2813-PR. Supreme Court of Arizona, In Banc. December 20, 1973. *239 Gary K. Nelson, Atty. Gen. by Thomas A. Jacobs, Asst. Atty. Gen., Phoenix, for appellee. Ross P. Lee, Maricopa County Public Defender by Anne Kappes, Deputy Public Defender, Phoenix, for appellant. CAMERON, Vice Chief Justice. We granted the defendant Anderson's petition to review a decision and opinion of the Court of Appeals, 20 Ariz. App. 309, 512 P.2d 613 (1973), in order that we might consider only one question: Was the prosecutor's jury argument directed to defendant's pretrial silence fundamental error? As to the other questions raised by the defendant, the opinion of the Court of Appeals in State v. Anderson, supra, is approved. At the trial the defendant took the stand and testified in his own behalf, disclaiming any guilty intent in entering the house in question and inferring that an accomplice was the guilty party. During the cross-examination of the defendant, the prosecutor asked the following questions: In closing argument, the prosecutor referred to this cross-examination of the defendant as follows: And later: No objection was made either to the cross-examination or closing argument. The Court of Appeals was of the opinion that two previous cases of this court, State v. Shing, 109 Ariz. 361, 509 P.2d 698 (1973) and State v. Benton, 109 Ariz. 427, 510 P.2d 743 (1973), were in conflict, and followed what appeared to be the holding in State v. Benton, supra. In State v. Benton, supra, we stated: In Benton, supra, the defendant's silence occurred after the initial denial of guilt and continued to the time he took the stand to testify. The comment concerned his failure to reassert this innocence prior to the time he took the stand in his own behalf. In the other case considered by the Court of Appeals, State v. Shing, supra, after the defendant had been read his "standard rights card" the following questions were asked: "In his closing argument the prosecutor commented: The Shing case is, of course, a much stronger case in that the defendant had been given his "Miranda warnings," including the right to remain silent, and the defendant immediately chose to exercise that right. In Shing, supra, we held that comment on the exercise of that right was fundamental error. See also State v. Greer, 17 Ariz. App. 162, 496 P.2d 152 (1972). The cases are not unanimous on this question. The Kansas Supreme Court in State v. Jackson, 201 Kan. 795, 443 P.2d 279 (1968), relied upon by the Court of Appeals in this case, has held that this type of comment is not error as has the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, United States ex rel. Burt v. New Jersey, 475 F.2d 234 (1973). Colorado, in a remarkably similar case, reached the same result, Johnson v. People, 172 Colo. 406, 473 P.2d 974 (1970). However, the Tenth Circuit reversed the Colorado court in Johnson v. Patterson, 475 F.2d 1066 (1973). The facts as set forth in the Tenth Circuit opinion are as follows: In holding that this was fundamental error, the court stated: Although the one question and answer standing alone without objection and without further elaborating questions might not be prejudicial, we believe that the question together with the comments thereon to the jury was fundamental error, and anything in State v. Benton, supra, and State v. Belcher, 108 Ariz. 290, 496 P.2d 590 (1972), to the contrary are by this opinion disapproved. Having determined that the cross-examination together with the comments to the jury was fundamental error, we may look to the record to see if the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705 (1967). In so doing, it should be kept in mind that while the doctrine of harmless error is a useful appellate device for insuring justice when the evidence of guilt is overwhelming and the record reflects that the error, though fundamental, did not contribute to the guilty verdict, the prosecution should be reminded that fundamental error is still error and is not turned into non-error by the overwhelming evidence of guilt. By thus approaching the precipice of fundamental error, the prosecution runs the risk of having an otherwise good case reversed when, on appeal, the evidence of guilt is less than overwhelming. In the instant case, the owner of the items stolen, a Nikon F camera, a Nikorex camera, and a 300 MM lens for the Nikon, testified that the defendant stayed at his house for a week and a half and then left. The accomplice testified as to the details of the burglary, and the pawnbroker testified that the defendant brought the camera and lens into the shop and received $50.00 for them. The defendant, by his own testimony, clearly implicated himself in the crime. Although contending that he was merely returning to get his painting equipment that he had left at the house, the defendant testified that he had the accomplice purchase some tape before they went to the house. He stated that he intended to tape the window and then break it in order to gain entry into the house. The defendant testified that the accomplice took the cameras but admitted that he sold the cameras to the pawnbroker. With these overwhelming facts, we can say that the error of the county attorney did not, beyond a reasonable doubt, contribute significantly to the verdict. Opinion of the Court of Appeals is approved except as to the matter discussed herein. Decision of the Court of Appeals and the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. HAYS, C.J., and STRUCKMEYER, LOCKWOOD and HOLOHAN, JJ., concur.