Opinion ID: 2630752
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Juror questioning of a witness

Text: Nolan alleges that the spontaneous outburst and questioning by a juror during trial was prejudicial and warrants a new trial. However, Nolan failed to preserve this issue for appeal by failing to object to the juror questioning at trial when it occurred. [10] Consequently, this court will not review this issue on appeal unless the error was plain and affected the defendant's substantial rights. [11] To show that an error affected a defendant's substantial rights, the defendant must establish the error was prejudicial. [12] During cross-examination of the emergency medical technician who found Weishaar in the street, a juror interrupted the witness and asked how far away from the curb Weishaar's body was found. When the witness stated the body was approximately 8 feet from the curb, the juror then stated, [Weishaar] only took two steps. Later, the juror remarked during witness testimony, [Weishaar] had to have more than a running start. Jurors are allowed to ask witnesses questions; however, there are strict guidelines that must be followed to prevent prejudicial error. In Allred v. State, we held that a juror question must be submitted in writing, the question must be reviewed for admissibility, counsel must be provided an opportunity to object to the question, and an admonishment must be given to the jury that they should refrain from putting undue weight on the answer to juror questions. [13] Unlike the scenario in Allred, in which this court found harmless error because the district court complied with most of the juror-questioning procedures, [14] none of the Allred requirements could have been met here because the juror's comments were spontaneous. This said, the district court committed plain error when it failed to admonish the jury as required. However, this error was not prejudicial and did not affect Nolan's substantial rights. Weishaar suffered serious bodily injuries that clearly were not related to a fall from the curb, including a laceration in her vagina and bruising around her anus.