Opinion ID: 1959936
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: unpreserved closing arguments claims

Text: As a general rule, the failure to raise a contemporaneous objection when improper closing argument comments are made waives any claim concerning such comments for appellate review. See, e.g., Brooks v. State, 762 So.2d 879, 898 (Fla. 2000); McDonald v. State, 743 So.2d 501, 505 (Fla.1999). A timely objection allows the trial court an opportunity to give a curative instruction or to admonish counsel for making an improper argument. See Nixon v. State, 572 So.2d 1336, 1341 (Fla. 1990). The exception to the contemporaneous objection rule is where the unobjected-to comments rise to the level of fundamental error, which has been defined as error that reaches down into the validity of the trial itself to the extent that a verdict of guilty or jury recommendation of death could not have been obtained without the assistance of the alleged error. See McDonald, 743 So.2d at 505 (quoting Urbin, 714 So.2d at 418 n. 8); Chandler v. State, 702 So.2d 186, 191 n. 5 (Fla.1997) (holding that for an error to be raised for the first time on appeal, the error must be so prejudicial as to vitiate the entire trial). Having reviewed the unobjected-to comments made by the prosecutor in this case, we conclude that none of these comments constitute fundamental error. We also have carefully reviewed the entire closing argument with specific attention to the objected-to arguments and the unobjected-to arguments that Card now contends were improper. We do not examine allegedly improper comments in isolation. Rather, the Court examines the totality of the errors in the closing argument and determines whether the cumulative effect of the numerous improprieties deprived the defendant of a fair penalty phase hearing. See Muhammad v. State, 782 So.2d 343, 361 (Fla.2001), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 122 S.Ct. 87, 151 L.Ed.2d 49 (2001); Brooks, 762 So.2d at 899; Ruiz v. State, 743 So.2d 1, 7 (Fla. 1999); Gore v. State, 719 So.2d 1197, 1203 (Fla.1998). Upon consideration of the State's remarks made during the State's penalty phase closing argument, taken both individually and collectively, we conclude that Card is not entitled to a new resentencing proceeding. In the present case, although the prosecutor crossed the line of proper advocacy during closing argument, defense counsel failed to object to the majority of the improper arguments. Moreover, when the prosecutor engaged in improper argument and defense counsel objected, other than the conscience of the community argument, the trial court sustained the objections and, with regard to the comments pertaining to whether Card would actually serve a life sentence, appropriately cautioned the jury. Further, the trial court found five aggravating circumstances, including CCP and HAC, two of the most serious aggravators set out in the statutory sentencing scheme, Larkins v. State, 739 So.2d 90, 95 (Fla.1999), no statutory mitigation, and insignificant nonstatutory mitigating circumstances. Accordingly, we hold that closing argument errors did not compromise the integrity of the judicial process and did not deprive Card of a fair penalty phase hearing. Therefore, we deny relief on Card's closing argument claims.