Opinion ID: 2977284
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Willie’s Prior Convictions

Text: During his testimony, Little mentioned that Willie “had previous convictions.” When Willie objected and moved for new trial, the district court instructed the jury to disregard the statement but denied Willie’s motion. This is not, as Willie claims, a futile attempt to “unring a bell.” United States v. Murray, 784 F.2d 188, 189 (6th Cir. 1986). First, Little’s comment about Willie’s prior convictions did not elaborate on “the name [or] the nature” of the convictions, and the court immediately gave a curative instruction. United States v. Stotts, 176 F.3d 880, 887 (6th Cir. 1999); see United States v. Harris, 165 F.3d 1062, 1066 (6th Cir. 1999) (affirming the denial of a motion for mistrial where “the district court gave an immediate and clear limiting instruction” after a reference to a prior arrest); United States v. Terry, 729 F.2d 1063, 1070 (6th Cir. 1984) (finding that statements made by a police officer and FBI agent about other criminal investigations were “not so prejudicial as to deny [the defendant’s] right to a fair trial” where neither witness directly referenced the criminal activity). Second, the evidence against Willie dwarfs the statement’s import. See United States v. Moore, 376 F.3d 570, 575 (6th Cir. 2004) (“The single comment, which the court immediately admonished the jury to ‘completely disregard,’ did not taint the case so as to deny [the defendant] a fair trial.”); Harris, 165 F.3d at 1066 (noting that “the officer’s stray remark constituted only a minuscule part of the evidence against [the defendant]”). By the time he made the statement, Little had already testified that Willie knew Fidel’s nephew, Perez, and that Willie, together with his nephew Mike, -9- Nos. 07-5543 and 07-5544 United States v. Estrada and Villasenor brought him a load of marijuana in September 2004. He also testified about several later drug deals with Willie. The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for mistrial despite Little’s reference to Willie’s previous convictions.