Opinion ID: 1237936
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Failure to Prove Facts Implied by Questions

Text: (115) It is misconduct for a prosecutor to ask a witness a question that implies a fact harmful to a defendant unless the prosecutor has reasonable grounds to anticipate an answer confirming the implied fact or is prepared to prove the fact by other means. ( People v. Warren (1988) 45 Cal.3d 471, 480 [247 Cal. Rptr. 172, 754 P.2d 218].) But if the defense does not object, and the prosecutor is not asked to justify the question, a reviewing court is rarely able to determine whether this form of misconduct has occurred. ( People v. Bittaker, supra, 48 Cal.3d 1046, 1098.) Therefore, a claim of misconduct on this basis is waived absent a timely and specific objection during the trial. ( People v. Carrera, supra, 49 Cal.3d 291, 317.) (116) Defendant cites five instances in which a prosecutor's question to a witness implied the existence of a fact harmful to defendant, the witness's answer did not confirm the existence of the fact, and the prosecutor offered no evidence to prove the fact. In four of the instances, the defense either did not object at all, or objected on grounds unrelated to the one urged on appeal. In these instances, the issue of prosecutorial misconduct is not preserved for review. The remaining instance occurred during cross-examination of defendant. The prosecutor asked, Why did you tell Rebecca Williams to lie about the Jennings .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol? Defense counsel objected that the question was argumentative and assumed facts not in evidence. Impliedly sustaining the objection, the trial court directed the prosecutor to ask defendant if he had told Williams to lie. Defendant denied that he had done so, but his answers effectively admitted that he had invented the false story that the gun was a gift from a grandfather and that he had urged Williams to use the story when she retrieved the gun from the gunsmith. The prosecutor asked a few more questions along this line, but defense counsel made no further objections. We find no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct in this incident. The trial court sustained the only objection raised by defense counsel, and defendant effectively admitted that he had indeed urged Williams to lie about the gun.