Opinion ID: 2449819
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: comment on appellant's silence

Text: During closing argument, the prosecutor stated the following: Keep in mind the only evidence in this case, the only evidence in this case  let me come by that one more time. The only evidence in this case as to whether Billy Payne did or did not buy two rocks of cocaine from John Weaver for $30 is that he did, because Billy Payne said it. And there is no evidence presented to you that he did not. The evidence, quote unquote, that has been presented to you, what Mr. Skaggs wants you to concentrate on is that Billy Payne lied about whether or not he's acted as an informant in other cases. What Mr. Skaggs wants you to talk about, uh, to think about is the inept job of the Franklin Police Department. Why is that? Why is that? Cause he don't want you to think about and remember that the only evidence in this case is that Billy Payne bought two pieces of rock cocaine from John Weaver for $30. The uncontroverted facts of this case. Undisputed. There was no contemporaneous objection to this statement. Instead, after the argument was concluded and the jury had recessed, defense counsel moved for a mistrial based upon the prosecutor's repeated references to the uncontradicted evidence of the cocaine buy. The motion was overruled. In the first place, this issue is not properly preserved. We held in Sizemore v. Commonwealth, Ky., 844 S.W.2d 397, 399 (1992) that an objection to improper statements made during closing arguments must be contemporaneous. See also Sherley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 889 S.W.2d 794, 799 (1994); Houston v. Commonwealth, Ky.App., 641 S.W.2d 42, 45 (1982). The trial court should be given the opportunity to consider whether an admonition would cure the error. See Roberson v. Commonwealth, Ky., 913 S.W.2d 310, 317 (1994). Regardless, the prosecutor's statements did not address themselves directly to Appellant's silence. The remarks address the Appellant's failure to refute Payne's testimony by any means. A prosecutor may properly comment on the defendant's failure to introduce witnesses on a defensive matter. Slaughter v. Commonwealth, Ky., 744 S.W.2d 407, 413 (1987). The prosecutor's comments did not exceed the latitude normally allowed to counsel in closing argument. Id. at 412. For these reasons, the judgment of the Simpson Circuit Court is affirmed. STEPHENS, C.J., and GRAVES, JOHNSTONE, STUMBO and WINTERSHEIMER, JJ., concur. LAMBERT, J., dissents by separate opinion.