Opinion ID: 2333091
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: Were the prosecutor's remarks improper?

Text: Counsel for the defendants in their opening statements to the jury admitted the defendants' participation in this unfortunate drama and thus narrowed the issue to be tried to the punishment to be imposed. They now inconsistently and for some unexplained reason object to the prosecutor's preconceived views of guilt. On two occasions during the trial, the prosecutor, referring to defendants' counsel's opening statements to the jury, said: I am rather surprised by these objections. In their openings counsel said they were not denying anything in this case. They weren't going to put the State to all the burden of this. And again: In their openings counsel made the statement that they weren't going to deny the presence of their clients at the crime. The defendants now contend these statements had the effect of branding the defense tactics as unfair and as unduly prolonging the trial and prejudicing, arousing and inflaming the jury against the defendants and their counsel. The authorities cited have no application to the issues presented, and we are unable to perceive any impropriety in the utterances so made by the prosecutor under the undisputed circumstances.