Title: Griffin v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MITCHELL GRIFFIN,  
 
) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
)  No. 437, 2004 
 
 
Defendant Below,  
) 
 
 
Appellant,  
 
)  Court Below:  Superior Court 
 
 
 
 
 
 
)  of the State of Delaware in and 
v. 
 
 
 
 
 
)  for New Castle County 
 
 
 
 
 
 
) 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
)  Cr. ID No. 0401020858 
 
 
 
 
 
 
) 
 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
 
) 
 
 
Appellee. 
 
 
) 
 
Submitted:  February 2, 2005 
Decided:  February 22, 2005 
 
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, and JACOBS, Justices. 
O R D E R 
 
This 22nd day of February 2005, on consideration of the parties’ briefs, it 
appears to the Court that: 
 
1. 
Mitchell Griffin appeals his rape conviction in the Superior Court, 
claiming the trial judge erred by denying his motion for a mistrial.  Griffin 
contends that the chief investigating officer’s presence at the prosecutor’s table 
during jury selection prejudiced him in front of the jury.  Because the record 
reflects that the officer did not participate in the selection process and that she only 
remained in the courtroom for ten minutes, we find that the trial judge acted within 
his discretion by denying Griffin’s request for a mistrial.  Accordingly, we affirm. 
 
2
 
2. 
In February 2004, New Castle County police charged Griffin, then 
thirty-eight years old, with three counts of third-degree rape for engaging in sexual 
intercourse with a fifteen year old girl.1  After jury selection began, the State’s 
chief investigating officer entered the courtroom and sat at the prosecution table 
for approximately ten minutes.  When the trial judge noticed the officer’s presence, 
he questioned the prosecutor, who explained that the officer had not assisted him in 
the selection process.  In addition, the officer stated that she had not spoken to the 
prosecutor except to explain why she arrived late.  The trial judge removed the 
officer from the courtroom, but denied Griffin’s motion for a mistrial.  Following 
trial, the jury convicted Griffin of one count of third-degree rape.2  Griffin appeals, 
contending the trial judge erred by denying his request for a mistrial. 
 
3. 
We review the denial of a motion for a mistrial for abuse of 
discretion.3  We will overturn a trial judge’s exercise of broad discretion in 
conducting jury selection only on a showing of prejudice to the defendant.4   
 
4. 
In Shields v. State, we criticized the practice of permitting police 
witnesses to assist in jury selection, stating that the practice “tends to ingratiate the 
                                                 
1  
11 Del. C. § 771(a)(1).   
2  
State v. Griffin, Del. Super., I.D. No. 0401020858 (Sept. 22, 2004). 
3  
Ashley v. State, 798 A.2d 1019, 1022 (Del. 2002).   
4  
Hickman v. State, 431 A.2d 1249, 1251 (Del. 1981), citing Hooks v. State, 416 A.2d 189, 
194 (Del. 1980). 
 
3
police witnesses in the eyes of the jury; and such apparent association with the 
‘convening’ of the Trial Court tends to enhance unfairly the credibility of the 
police witnesses.”5  Griffin contends that the officer’s presence at the prosecutor’s 
table violated the rule established in Shields. 
 
5. 
This case is distinct from Shields, however, because the officer did not 
participate in the jury selection process, and was only present at counsel’s table for 
ten minutes before the trial judge removed her.  On these facts, the officer’s 
presence did not violate the Shields mandate because the officer did not assist the 
prosecution in jury selection.6  The trial judge found that the officer’s brief 
presence did not prejudice Griffin’s case, and on appeal Griffin offers no evidence 
to the contrary.  Accordingly, we find that the trial judge acted well within his 
discretion by denying Griffin’s motion for a mistrial. 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
/s/ Myron T. Steele 
Chief Justice 
                                                 
5  
374 A.2d 816, 820-21 (Del. 1977).   
6  
See id.