Opinion ID: 2614563
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Strength/Weakness of the Evidence

Text: With regard to the third factor in determining prosecutorial misconduct, this case essentially turned on the credibility of two witnessesthe Complainant and Rogan. There were no independent eyewitnesses or conclusive forensic evidence in this case. Instead, the prosecution's case against Rogan depended heavily on the Complainant's testimony. Given that Rogan denied having committed any of the acts for which he was charged, [4] this case was based on the Complainant's version of the events against Rogan's version. Under these circumstances, we cannot say that the evidence of criminal conduct against Rogan was overwhelming. In contrast to the instant case, the evidence against the defendant in Ganal was overwhelming. In Ganal, we held that despite Ganal's challenge to fourteen portions of the prosecution's closing argument, the prosecution's remarks did not constitute error in light of the overwhelming strength of the case against Ganal[.] 81 Hawai`i at 377, 917 P.2d at 389. Specifically, we considered the number of witnesses who had been present during the events in question and who testified against Ganal. Id. at 362-65, 917 P.2d at 374-77. In addition, there was abundant forensic evidence, including ballistics, supporting the prosecution. Id. at 363-65, 917 P.2d at 375-77. Therefore, considering the circumstances in Ganal in comparison to the instant case, it can hardly be said that the case against Rogan, which hinged on the credibility of the Complainant, was so overwhelming as to outweigh the inflammatory effect of the deputy prosecutor's comments. Given that all three factors discussed above weigh heavily against the prosecution in this case, we cannot conclude that the prosecution's remark that finding some black, military guy on top of your daughter is every mother's nightmare was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Because there is a reasonable possibility that the deputy prosecutor's comment during closing argument might have contributed to Rogan's conviction, we hold that the deputy prosecutor's comment constituted prosecutorial misconduct that denied Rogan his right to a fair trial.