Opinion ID: 2315121
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The timing of the instruction.

Text: The lack of evidence to support the aiding and abetting instruction, which was alone sufficient to require reversal, was compounded by the timing of the judge's decision to give it. The closing arguments had been completed several days earlier. If the instruction had been given in advance of the closing arguments, in conformity with the judge's laudable aims described at pages 1096-1097, supra, then Brooks would have had the opportunity to invite the jury's attention to the lack of evidence of any connection between Ms. Murphy and himself. There was no testimony that the two of them were even acquainted with one another. Brooks could also have pointed out to the jury, as we have noted in this opinion, that if the man in the restaurant was in fact someone other than Brooks, then there was nothing in the record to indicate that Brooks had given that man any assistance whatever. The present case differs in this respect from Tyler v. United States, 495 A.2d 1180, 1183 (D.C.1985), on which the government places heavy reliance. In Tyler, this court sustained a trial court finding that the defendant's closing argument would not have been different even if the aiding and abetting instruction had been made expressly applicable to the burglary charge [13] before the jury began its deliberations, rather than as a reinstruction in response to a jury note. Here, for the reasons stated, the closing arguments might well have been substantially different if the judge had advised the parties in advance that he would instruct the jury on aiding and abetting. The government points out that Brooks, like the defendant in Tyler, did not specifically request the opportunity to make further jury argument. See Tyler, supra, 495 A.2d at 1183. This observation is correct, although we note that the proceedings after the judge had decided to give the belated instruction were quite abbreviated, [14] and it might have been difficult even for an experienced attorney, in reacting to these unusual denouements, to remember on the spot to request an opportunity to argue further. In any event, we do not predicate our decision on the judge's failure to permit the parties to reopen their closing arguments (which he was not asked to do), but simply note that the prejudicial effect of the instructional error might have been alleviated by further jury argument on the issue of aiding and abetting. [15]