Opinion ID: 1972198
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Mason's Claims of Error

Text: Mason alleges that the prosecutor made seven irrelevant and inflammatory remarks during closing, including: 1. statements that it was the jury's duty to find Mason guilty; 2. favorable comparisons of his own credibility with that of the victim; 3. allusions to his personal belief that Mason was guilty; 4. an assertion that Mason's counsel believed Mason was guilty; 5. statements that the victim deserved to be believed and deserved justice; 6. general statements that people are convicted every day using the standard of proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; and 7. references to the fact that the victim was a virgin before the alleged offense. Although Mason's counsel did not object either during the prosecutor's closing argument or at the close of summation, he maintains that these remarks were so singularly prejudicial as to warrant a new trial; in the alternative, he argues that, even if none of the remarks were prejudicial in and of itself, he was prejudiced when all are considered cumulatively. Generally, a defendant must timely object to improper statements made in closing argument to preserve his claim on appeal. If the defendant fails to object, he waives the right to raise the issue on appeal, and this Court will not review his claim unless plain error is shown. Robertson v. State, Del.Supr., 596 A.2d 1345, 1356 (1991); Ray v. State, Del.Supr., 587 A.2d 439 (1991); Weber v. State, Del.Supr., 547 A.2d 948, 960 (1988); Supr.Ct. R. 8; see also State v. Halko, Del.Super., 193 A.2d 817, 830 (1963) (Counsel must preserve alleged error committed by the Court by timely ... objections... if he wishes to assert such matters as grounds for a new trial), aff'd, 204 A.2d 628 (1964). `However, where substantial rights are jeopardized and the fairness of the trial imperiled, this Court will apply a plain error standard of review.' Robertson, 596 A.2d at 1356 (quoting Stansbury v. State, Del. Supr., 591 A.2d 188, 191 (1991)). Pursuant to the plain error standard, the error complained of must be so clearly prejudicial to substantial rights as to jeopardize the fairness and integrity of the trial process.... Furthermore, the doctrine of plain error is limited to material defects which are apparent on the face of the record; which are basic, serious and fundamental in their character, and which clearly deprive an accused of a substantial right, or which clearly show manifest injustice. Robertson, 596 A.2d at 1356 (quoting Wainwright v. State, Del.Supr., 504 A.2d 1096, 1100, cert. denied, 479 U.S. 869, 107 S.Ct. 236, 93 L.Ed.2d 161 (1986) (internal citations omitted). Applying the plain error standard, it does not appear that any of the alleged prejudicial remarks deprived Mason of either his due process rights or a fair trial. Accordingly, his appeal must fail. See State v. McGee, Mo.Ct.App., 848 S.W.2d 512, 513-14 (1993) (Relief should rarely be granted on assertion of plain error to matters contained in closing argument, because trial strategy looms as an important consideration and, in the absence of the specific request for relief, the trial court's options are narrowed to uninvited interferences with summation and a corresponding increase of error by such intervention).
During closing, the prosecutor told the jury that if they believed the victim, it was their duty to find Mason guilty. Mason claims that this remark was improper and improperly influenced the jury, i.e., it led them to believe they had to convict him if they believed the victim. See Fensterer v. State, Del.Supr., 509 A.2d 1106, 1111-112 (1986) (finding that even if the jury believes the complainant, it may still acquit the defendant). In Fensterer, the defendant was charged with murder. During its closing argument, the prosecution stated: To believe the defendant and disbelieve the State, you would have to believe that [the two officers] committed perjury in this case. Id. at 1111. Mason highlights a portion of Fensterer in which the Court stated that the prosecution's remark was improper since: (1) the jury could have serious doubts about the credibility of both sides, id. at 1112; and (2) [t]he jury is not required to choose between the State's and the defendant's version of the facts, id. Mason ignores, however, several other important conclusions of the Court. First, the Court noted that while the claim was not raised at trial, it was sufficiently related to a prior objection made during closing to merit review. Id. Here, there was no such objection made and the claim was never properly before the Court. Second, Fensterer was a relatively complex murder case in which there were no eyewitnesses and proof was limited to circumstantial evidence; there was no direct conflict in testimony. As such, the prosecution's remark was improper since it placed upon the defendant the affirmative duty to disprove the testimony of the police officers. Id. In this case, there were eyewitnesses and their testimony was directly at odds with each other. Obviously, the jury was required to make a credibility determination. Logically, if the jury believed the victim it would convict Mason. This simply is not a case where the prosecutor's comment placed upon Mason an unfair burden or confused the jury. Additionally, Mason's complaint that the prosecution prejudiced him by asking the jury to do justice is not persuasive given that his counsel said much the same thing (There can be only one just verdict in this case). See Michael v. State, Del.Supr., 529 A.2d 752, 763 (1987) (court should review prosecutor's rebuttal in light of defense's closing argument); see also United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985) (plain error not found in prosecutor's instruction to jury to do its job).
Mason's next claim is that the prosecutor unfairly prejudiced him by comparing the victim's inability to remember the date of the crime with the prosecutor's own inability to remember certain details of a sporting event he attended. The prosecutor admits he used this tactic to show that, despite the victim's forgetfulness, she was not necessarily lying. Mason contends that the prosecutor improperly interjected his own personal experiences into the trial. A prosecutor's argument from personal experience is improper to the extent that it suggests personal belief in the victim's truthfulness, Brokenbrough v. State, Del. Supr., 522 A.2d 851, 859 (1987), or superior knowledge of the victim's truthfulness, Saunders v. State, Del.Supr., 602 A.2d 623, 624 (1984). Here, the prosecutor's personal statement was erroneous but harmless because it was merely peripheral and did not cause the jury to give substantially more weight to the victim's testimony. See Sullivan v. State, Del.Supr., 636 A.2d 931, 941-42 (1994) (rejecting a similar plain error claim of prejudice).
Mason next points to the prosecutor's assertion that this is not a difficult case, claiming that this is an improper personal opinion concerning the truth of the evidence and Mason's guilt. Given the context of the prosecutor's remark, Mason's claim is flawed. Immediately after making the aforementioned statement, the prosecutor distinguished between this case, which involved eyewitness testimony and required only that the jury assess witness credibility, and more difficult cases involving circumstantial evidence and complex jury considerations. It is a stretch to interpret these remarks as personal beliefs of Mason's guilt.
During the course of the trial the prosecutor claimed that the victim had been inside Mason's apartment only onceon the evening of the rape. A defense witness later countered that the victim had been to Mason's apartment at a later date also. During closing, the prosecutor noted that Mason's attorney did not cross-examine the victim on this point: Certainly [the defense witness] wants to believe it, and if the defense attorney really believed it, why didn't he ask [the victim] about the supposed stuffed animal? Because it never happened, and [the defense witness] was just confused. While this was an improper, and potentially prejudicial remark, see, e.g., United States v. Kirkland, 9th Cir., 637 F.2d 654 (1980) (prosecution cannot suggest to jury that defendant's counsel doubts defendant's innocence), its importance was minimized by several factors. First, during his closing remarks, Mason's counsel noted that the State didn't cross examine [the victim], and the State hasn't rebutted [the victim], and that's solid evidence. While neither remark was proper, the fact that both the prosecutor and Mason's counsel made similar remarks concerning failure to cross-examine tends to lessen any prejudicial effect the statements might have had alone. [1] Second, the remark was isolated and did not go to the attorney's belief of Mason's guilt. See, e.g., id. at 656 (no abuse of discretion in failing to declare a mistrial when prosecutor stated that defense counsel knew his clients were guilty as sin).