Opinion ID: 2542916
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Other claims raised by Summers on appeal

Text: In addition to his Confrontation Clause and Crawford claim, Summers raises four other claims on appeal. We have carefully reviewed each of these claims, and we conclude that they do not warrant any relief. First, Summers contends that juror 661 was biased because one of the prosecutors once dated her daughter. However, Summers did not challenge juror 661 for cause, and our review of her examination during voir dire does not reveal that she was biased or improperly seated in violation of his constitutional right to a fair and impartial jury. [24] Second, Summers contends that the district court committed judicial misconduct and failed to exercise self-restraint and impartiality during his counsel's cross-examination of State witness Albert Paige by interpreting Paige's answers and failing to admonish Paige for answering questions with questions. However, the cross-examination of Paige was contentious, and the district court was acting to maintain control over the trial and did so without clear objection from Summers. [25] Third, Summers contends that the district court abused its discretion by denying separate motions for a mistrial. One motion was made during the guilt phase based on a statement by State witness Frederick Ameen regarding threats to his life. However, this statement was not elicited by the State, and the district court ordered it stricken. The other motion was made during the penalty hearing and was based on several instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct. We discern no misconduct in the instances cited by Summers on appeal. Summers has failed to demonstrate the district court abused its discretion by denying either of his mistrial motions. [26] Finally, Summers contends that he was denied a fair trial because of cumulative error. [27] For the reasons already discussed above, we conclude that Summers is not entitled to relief on this claim or any other he raises on appeal.