Opinion ID: 1926775
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Prosecutor's Comments During Closing Argument

Text: We discuss first whether Trivigno is entitled to a new trial because, in violation of Griffin v. California, 380 U.S. 609, 85 S.Ct. 1229, 14 L.Ed.2d 106 (1965), the assistant district attorney made statements that improperly commented upon Trivigno's failure to take the stand. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that the remarks were not improper under the circumstances. They could not have contributed to the verdict against Trivigno, and he is not entitled to a new trial. During the closing arguments, defense counsel informed the jury of the fundamental precept that a defendant in a criminal trial is presumed innocent and that the Commonwealth has the burden to prove that he is guilty of the crime charged. (N.T., 9/26/96 at 53-55.) Counsel then explained in some depth the reasons for that burden and urged the jury to apply this presumption of innocence in favor of Trivigno. In this context, the defense lawyer explained the reasons that he had not presented any evidence and stated that: fundamentally our defense in this case by virtue of Mr. Trivigno's not guilty plea is I didn't do it. You say I did it, Commonwealth, your job is to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. ( Id. at 55, emphasis added.) Counsel then continued to attempt to persuade the jury that the Commonwealth had not met its burden of proof and pointed to a number of scientific journals that questioned the accuracy of eye witness accounts of crime. During the Commonwealth's closing remarks, the assistant district attorney argued that Trivigno's counsel was actually asking the jury to guess and speculate about evidence that was not presented in the courtroom. ( Id. at 72.) Reminding the jury that they could base their decision solely upon the evidence and not guesswork, the assistant district attorney then made the following comment: Ladies and Gentlemen, we're simply asking you to do your job based on what happened in this courtroom, not on references to the fact of a plea of not guilty being an expression I didn't do it. You didn't hear the words I didn't do it from that witness stand in this courtroom at all. ( Id. at 72, emphasis added.) The attorney for Trivigno promptly made an objection, which the trial court sustained, but counsel did not ask for a cautionary instruction at this time. [1] Id. Continuing with his closing, the assistant district attorney then stated: You only heard the entering of a plea. I'm asking you to go not what might be in scientific journals that counsel has evidently studied up on about the reliability of eyewitness [sic] or whether or not there is a National Crime Information center or whether or not NASA put a man on the moon. I'm only asking you to decide the case based on the evidence that came from that chair up there and the exhibits that were offered to you ... ( Id. at 73, emphasis added.) Following this closing, the defense attorney asked for a side bar, at which time counsel again objected to the prosecutor's reference to the failure of Trivigno to testify. He then requested a mistrial. (N.T., 9/29/96 at 102-103.) The trial court refused to grant a mistrial because it found that the prosecutor's comment was in fair response to counsel's statement (that Trivigno's not guilty plea means that he didn't do it), and found that a cautionary instruction could cure any prejudice. ( Id. at 103-05.) We agree with the disposition of the trial court. As a general rule, any comment that the prosecuting attorney makes regarding a defendant's election not to testify is a violation of the defendant's right against self incrimination as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 9 of the Pennsylvania Constitution and by statute, codified at 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5941. [2] Commonwealth v. Camm, 443 Pa. 253, 277 A.2d 325, 330 (1971), cert. denied, 405 U.S. 1046, 92 S.Ct. 1320, 31 L.Ed.2d 589 (1972). A comment is constitutionally and statutorily forbidden if the language used by the prosecutor is intended to create for the jury an adverse inference from the failure of the defendant to testify. Commonwealth v. Clark, 551 Pa. 258, 710 A.2d 31, 39 (1998), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 119 S.Ct. 1465, 143 L.Ed.2d 550 (1999). This rule is not an absolute bar to any reference to a defendant's failure to testify. Id. See also Commonwealth v. Rolan, 520 Pa. 1, 549 A.2d 553 (1988). [3] A remark by a prosecutor, otherwise improper, may be appropriate if it is in fair response to the argument and comment of defense counsel. United States v. Robinson, 485 U.S. 25, 31, 108 S.Ct. 864, 99 L.Ed.2d 23 (1988). In Robinson, the defendant was on trial for insurance fraud (he set his home on fire to collect the insurance). Defense counsel argued in his closing that the government had not given the defendant the opportunity to explain his side of the story. In response, the prosecutor stated in his closing that the defendant could have taken the stand and explained it to you, anything he wanted to. 485 U.S. at 26, 108 S.Ct. 864. The United States Supreme Court held that the prosecutor's direct comments concerning the defendant's failure to take the stand were not in violation of Griffin because the statements were in fair response to the argument of the defendant and did not treat the defendant's silence as substantive evidence of guilt. 485 U.S. at 32, 108 S.Ct. 864. The Court stated: In the present case it is evident that the prosecutorial comment did not treat the defendant's silence as substantive evidence of guilt, but instead referred to the possibility of testifying as one of several opportunities which the defendant was afforded, contrary to the statement of his counsel, to explain his side of the case. Where the prosecutor on his own initiative asks the jury to draw an adverse inference from a defendant's silence, Griffin holds that the privilege against compulsory self-incrimination is violated. But where as in this case the prosecutor's reference to the defendant's opportunity to testify is a fair response to a claim made by defendant or his counsel, we think there is no violation of the privilege. Id. (emphasis added). See also Commonwealth v. Clark, supra , (holding that prosecutor's comment that defendant failed to show remorse was in fair response to defense closing argument); Commonwealth v. Abu-Jamal, 553 Pa. 485, 720 A.2d 79, 116 (1998); [4] Commonwealth v. Rhone, 422 Pa.Super. 521, 619 A.2d 1080, alloc. denied, 534 Pa. 653, 627 A.2d 731 (1993). [5] When we apply these rules of law to the facts of this case, we find that the remark at issue was in fair response to the statements of defense counsel and was not intended to create an adverse inference pertaining to the failure of Trivigno to testify. Defense counsel's comment misinformed the jury of the effect of a guilty plea and constituted impermissible testimony (I didn't do it) from counsel, when no such testimony had been presented at trial. In light of this misinformation, we can find no error in the conclusion of the trial court that the comments of the district attorney were intended to respond to counsel's misinformation and to inform the jury correctly of the effect of the not guilty plea. The prosecutor did not intend to create for the jury an adverse inference from the failure of the defendant to testify. Hence, the trial court properly refused to grant a mistrial. Even if we determine that the assistant district attorney's remark was not in fair response to the statements of defense counsel, but instead that he erroneously commented on the defendant's failure to testify, this error does not warrant a new trial because it was harmless. Trivigno does not contend otherwise, but cites to Commonwealth v. Edwards, 535 Pa. 575, 637 A.2d 259 (1993), apparently arguing that any comment that refers to the defendant's failure to testify is per se reversible error. We disagree. We have previously held that an improper reference to the defendant's failure to testify is harmless if the Commonwealth establishes, beyond a reasonable doubt that: the properly admitted and uncontradicted evidence of guilt was so overwhelming and the prejudicial effect of the error was so insignificant by comparison that the error could not have contributed to the verdict. Commonwealth v. Rodriguez, 533 Pa. 555, 626 A.2d 141, 144 (1993). See also Commonwealth v. Nolen, 535 Pa. 77, 634 A.2d 192, 197 (1993) (holding that references to defendant's silence are harmless where it is clear that the error could not have contributed to the verdict.) Here, the properly admitted and uncontradicted evidence of Trivigno's guilt was overwhelming, and the statement of the prosecutor could not have, in any way, contributed to the jury's verdict against him. Two eyewitnesses testified that they saw Trivigno shoot Varano. One of these eyewitnesses, Cheryl Varano, was less than a foot from Trivigno when he leaned into the Varanos' vehicle, on the side where Mrs. Varano was sitting, and shot her and her husband. Moreover, Romon identified the car that Trivigno rode away in as a Lincoln and the license plate was traced to Trivigno Sr. at the address of Trivigno's sister. Although Trivigno, Sr. claimed that he sold this car to Bastile, a homeless man, his story was incredible in light of the fact that he gave conflicting and unbelievable stories to the police; and, the car was registered at the address of Trivigno's sister (yet she apparently had never heard of Bastile.) Further, at trial, the police testified concerning extensive efforts to locate Bastile; and, there was absolutely no record or other evidence that Bastile ever existed. In addition, the jury heard testimony of a series of arguments that had occurred between Trivigno and the victim, in which Trivigno threatened to take care of it later. The only area of evidence that Trivigno points to as contradicted is the identification of the getaway car. Trivigno argues that there was contradictory testimony from Rivera and Romon about the color of the car and that some witnesses told police that the license plate number of the vehicle was either AUB or AWB 7336 (not AVB 7336, as Romon indicated.) These alleged contradictions are not significant. While Rivera testified that the car Trivigno drove away in probably was a white or beige Cadillac, she said she was not certain because it was snowing so that most of the car looked white. Further, although Romon, the witness who wrote the license plate down, testified initially that the car was medium or light brown, when asked more specifically, he indicated that it was the color of the attorney's briefcase, which was burgundy (notably the color of Trivigno's Lincoln). Romon, a mechanic who did auto body repair, was a particularly believable witness on the identification of the car. At the time of the shooting, he told the police that he was 100 percent certain that the automobile was a Lincoln. He was at the best vantage point on Palethorpe Street to observe the vehicle as it sped away (Rivera was closer to where the shooting took place and Romon was closer to where Trivigno ran and jumped into the getaway car). Because Rivera identified the automobile as a Cadillac rather than a Lincoln is not significant, particularly where she expressed some uncertainty as to the make of the car and to the untrained eye, the body type of a Cadillac is very similar to that of a Lincoln. Also, it is not significant that Romon and Rivera, who both needed interpreters during the trial, indicated in English that the car color was beige or light brown, whereas the color of Trivigno's was burgundy. Particularly here, where when shown an actual color with which to compare the car's color, Romon was able to say that the burgundy briefcase was the closet color to the car he saw on December 9, 1995. Trivigno points to no other Commonwealth evidence that was contradictory. Given this, and the fact that the trial court gave a number of cautionary instructions to the members of the jury, stating that they could not draw an adverse inference from Trivigno's failure to testify, there is no reasonable doubt that the assistant district attorney's passing reference to decid(ing) the case based on the evidence that came from that chair up there did not contribute to the jury's verdict in this matter. Commonwealth v. Nolen, 634 A.2d at 196-97. See also Commonwealth v. Maloney, 469 Pa. 342, 365 A.2d 1237, 1241 (1976)(ruling that, where prosecutor made improper reference to defendant's silence, in Pennsylvania adequate instructions under some circumstances may cure error of the nature here complained of.) We thus conclude, based on the particular facts of this case, that the prosecutor's statement was harmless, even if an improper comment on the defendant's failure to take the stand. In reaching the conclusion that the prosecutor's statement was harmless error, we are mindful that such a conclusion in these circumstances is not to be arrived at lightly. Commonwealth v. Davis, 452 Pa. 171, 305 A.2d 715, 720 (1973). However, in this case, the properly admitted evidence was so overwhelming that there is no doubt that the prosecutor's passing reference in no way contributed to the jury's verdict in this manner. E.g., Commonwealth v. Nolen, supra . Thus, the trial court did not err in refusing to grant a mistrial.