Opinion ID: 1691774
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Improper Comments by the Prosecutor

Text: Bryant argues that, during the penalty phase, the prosecutor made comments trivializ[ing] the awesome responsibility of the jury in recommending the death penalty, as discussed in Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320, 105 S.Ct. 2633, 86 L.Ed.2d 231 (1985). (Brief, p. 28.) Specifically, Bryant complains of the prosecutor's comments about the respective roles of the jury and the judge in sentencing. This claim is addressed as part of Issue IV both in Bryant's brief and in the opinion by the Court of Criminal Appeals. Because the erroneous penalty-phase jury instructions we have already discussed in Part A of this opinion require us to reverse the sentence (not the adjudication of guilt) and to remand for a new sentencing trial, we need not address this issue about the prosecutor's comments, and we express no opinion on it.