Case Name: STATE of Minnesota, Respondent, v. Larry G. SCHULTZ, Appellant
Court: Minnesota Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Minnesota
Decision Date: 1978-01-06
Citations: 262 N.W.2d 411
Docket Number: No. 47284
Parties: STATE of Minnesota, Respondent, v. Larry G. SCHULTZ, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: North Western Reporter 2d
Volume: 262
Pages: 411–412

Head Matter:
STATE of Minnesota, Respondent, v. Larry G. SCHULTZ, Appellant.
No. 47284.
Supreme Court of Minnesota.
Jan. 6, 1978.
Rapoport, Singer & Miller, Larry G. Rapoport, and Michael G. Singer, Minneapolis, for appellant.
Warren Spannaus, Atty. Gen., Thomas L. Fabel, Deputy Atty. Gen., Richard G. Evans, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., St. Paul, Douglas L. Ruth, County Atty., Owatonna, for respondent.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Defendant, who was found guilty by a district court jury of aggravated rape, Minn.St.1974, § 609.291(2), and indecent liberties, Minn.St.1974, § 609.296, subd. 1(2), appeals from an order denying his post-trial motion for a new trial. The sole issue on appeal is whether the prosecutor committed prejudicial misconduct in his closing argument by expressing his personal opinion of defendant's guilt. While the prosecutor did use expressions of personal opinion, we do not believe that the prosecutor's comments prejudiced defendant. See, State v. Prettyman, 293 Minn. 493, 198 N.W.2d 156 (1972).
Although defense counsel did not object to the prosecutor's argument until after the jury retired to deliberate and did not seek curative instructions, the trial court, on its own, did caution the jury that it should consider only the evidence and that counsel's statements were not evidence. Further, the evidence of defendant's guilt was adequate, the closing argument of the prosecutor was otherwise proper, and the trial court, in denying the motion for a new trial, stated that it was convinced the comments did not-prejudice defendant. Under all the circumstances, and applying the test of whether the error likely played a substantial part in influencing the jury to convict, we affirm. See, State v. Caron, 300 Minn. 123, 218 N.W.2d 197 (1974), and State v. Prettyman, supra.
Affirmed.