Opinion ID: 2357440
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Government's Vouching for the Credibility of Government Witnesses

Text: During rebuttal argument, the prosecutor commented: Finally, with respect to Mr. Coleman. You saw him get up on the stand the other day and talk about the fact that he was innocent. Well, ladies and gentlemen, would you really expect him to get up there on the stand and tell you that he did it? That might happen in television and the movies but this is the real world. . . . And you know, ladies and gentlemen, that he did it because why would the police; the government, Ms. Motz [AUSA], myself, Mr. Rosen who you saw; the detectives, one of whom you've seen and others you've heard about, why would they spend four years of their lives investigating the wrong person. . . . Why would the police go after an innocent man and let the real killer go free? It makes no sense. Defense counsel objected and moved for a mistrial. The trial judge denied the motion for a mistrial, but immediately instructed the jury that any argument about what the police or prosecutors thought or did is not relevant. . . . and you should disregard any statement about what any policeman, lawyer, or anybody else might have thought in the course of the investigation. During final jury instructions, the trial judge repeated the instruction, stating that if you think a lawyer has expressed a personal belief or opinion during argument, disregard it and judge this case based only on the evidence. In reviewing alleged impropriety in the prosecutor's closing argument, we first consider whether the challenged comments were improper. Bates v. United States, 766 A.2d 500, 508 (D.C. 2000). We have no hesitation in concluding that the quoted portion of the prosecution's rebuttal argument vouching for the government's witnesses and the prosecution generally was highly improper. [21] We have repeatedly admonished prosecutors against commenting on the veracity of government witnesses during rebuttal argument. See Powell v. United States, 455 A.2d 405, 408 (D.C.1982). In cases such as this one, where the determination of guilt rests on the jury's assessment of the credibility of the witnesses, improperly vouching for the credibility of witnesses is of cardinal importance. Id. We also recognize that the prejudicial effect of such comments are heightened when presented in rebuttal argument. See Hartridge v. United States, 896 A.2d 198, 221 (D.C. 2006). In a few sentences, as the trial court recognized, the prosecutor managed to breach this important stricture and vouched for the credibility of every single government employee associated with the case, including AUSA Rosen, who testified as a fact witness, the detectives who investigated the case, and herself, who presented the government's case to the jury. Given that the prosecutor's comments were improper, we must, viewing the remarks in context, consider the gravity of the impropriety, its relationship to the issue of guilt, the effect of any corrective action by the trial judge, and the strength of the government's case. Bates, 766 A.2d at 508 (quotation marks and citation omitted). The trial judge twice instructed the jury that the prosecutor was prohibited from expressing her personal opinion as to the veracity of the witnesses. There is no reason on the record why we should not apply the presumption that the jury followed those instructions. See Plater v. United States, 745 A.2d 953, 959 (D.C.2000) (citing Wright v. United States, 637 A.2d 95, 97 (D.C.1994)). In addition, as discussed above, the government's evidence of Coleman's guilt was overwhelming. In addition to the eyewitnesses who testified that they saw him shoot the victims, others (including his girlfriend) testified that Coleman confessed to the murders on several occasions. And, during his own direct examination, Coleman admitted that he confessed to the detectives and AUSA Rosen. In light of the strength of the government's case and the curative instruction, we are satisfied that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for a mistrial. [22] We, therefore, affirm Coleman's convictions.