Opinion ID: 1127469
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Change of Venue Due to Pretrial Publicity

Text: The trial court denied defendants' pretrial motion for change of venue based on pretrial publicity, stating that defendants had not met their burden of proof. The motion was renewed after voir dire and again denied. A trial court's ruling on a motion for change of venue based on pretrial publicity is a discretionary decision and will not be overturned absent an abuse of discretion and prejudice to the defendant. State v. Salazar, 173 Ariz. 399, 406, 844 P.2d 566, 573 (1992), cert. denied, 509 U.S. 912, 113 S.Ct. 3017, 125 L.Ed.2d 707 (1993). There is a two-step inquiry for pretrial publicity: (1) did the publicity pervade the court proceedings to the extent that prejudice can be presumed?; if not, then (2) did defendant show actual prejudice among members of the jury? State v. Stokley, 182 Ariz. 505, 513, 898 P.2d 454, 462 (1995). The defendant has the burden of showing prejudice. State v. Bible, 175 Ariz. 549, 564, 566, 858 P.2d 1152, 1167, 1169 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 1578, 128 L.Ed.2d 221 (1994); Ariz.R.Crim.P. 10.3(b).
For a court to presume prejudice, defendant must show pretrial publicity so outrageous that it promises to turn the trial into a mockery of justice or a mere formality. Bible, 175 Ariz. at 563, 858 P.2d at 1166. To reach a conclusion on presumed prejudice, we review the entire record, without regard to the answers given in voir dire. Id. at 565, 858 P.2d at 1168. Defendants did not meet their burden of proof to show that the publicity has been so extensive and so prejudicial as to create the probability that [they] will be denied a fair trial. State v. Smith, 116 Ariz. 387, 390, 569 P.2d 817, 820 (1977). Defendants called a news reporter and investigator as witnesses before trial to attempt to show that pretrial publicity prejudiced defendants because various people in the community had formed opinions about their guilt or innocence. However, they failed to show what pretrial publicity was so outrageous, resulting in a trial that was utterly corrupted. Murphy v. Florida, 421 U.S. 794, 798, 95 S.Ct. 2031, 2035, 44 L.Ed.2d 589 (1975). Roger also cites law enforcement overreacting as creating a contaminated atmosphere. The court went to great effort to shield the jurors from security measures, including requiring law enforcement officers to dress in plainclothes and transporting defendants at times when jurors were not likely to be present. It is unclear from the record whether any jurors actually observed defendants being transported in custody or while shackled. If there was any such exposure it was brief and inadvertent, not resulting in prejudice. See State v. Apelt, 176 Ariz. 349, 361, 861 P.2d 634, 646 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 113, 130 L.Ed.2d 59 (1994). After a review of the entire record, we conclude that prejudice cannot be presumed.
The relevant inquiry for actual prejudice is the effect of the publicity on the objectivity of the jurors, not the fact of the publicity itself. Bible, 175 Ariz. at 566, 858 P.2d at 1169. Defendants did not show that the jurors had formed preconceived notions concerning the defendant[s'] guilt and that they [could not] lay those notions aside. State v. Chaney, 141 Ariz. 295, 302, 686 P.2d 1265, 1272 (1984). Although some of the prospective jurors had heard about the case, the jury questionnaire and the individual voir dire by both the judge and defense counsel thoroughly probed the issue of publicity. Only those prospective jurors who indicated that they could set aside the publicity and decide the case on the evidence presented remained on the jury panel. See Atwood, 171 Ariz. at 632, 832 P.2d at 649. The empaneled jury was warned repeatedly to avoid media coverage of the trial. Defendants failed to show actual prejudice.