Opinion ID: 784866
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Closing Arguments (de León Maysonet, Gonzalez-Ayala, García-García)

Text: 147 Several defendants urge that the prosecution's closing argument led to reversible error. 148 In its rebuttal in closing the prosecutor argued: 149 And one point that I want to make clear as to Ramon Fernandez Malave, as to Carmelo Vega-Pacheco, as to Rene Gonzalez-Ayala, as to Jose Luis de Leon Maisonet and anyone else who argues here before you that they are here before you pleading not guilty, pleading their innocence. Well, let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, a plea of not guilty is not, not a declaration of innocence. A plea of not guilty simply means, government, prove your case. But a plea of not guilty is not a declaration of innocence. 150 (emphasis added). Defense counsel objected: 151 We would like to interpose an objection, hinges on the constitution right to the presumption of innocence. 152 The court replied, in the presence of the jury: 153 There is a presumption of innocence going on. Fine. 154 (emphasis added). The prosecutor echoed that: 155 There is a presumption of innocence. They are to be presumed innocent, that is not what I'm arguing against, Your Honor. And I understand the jurisprudence from the First Circuit supports my argument. The court then said: 156 Keep on going. 157 Later, the prosecution made a similar statement: 158 Carmelo Vega Pacheco again comes before you and says my client is pleading not guilty. Again, a plea of not guilty is not a declaration of innocence. It simply puts the government to its proof. And he argues, yes, he participated in [the] Quintana massacre but that was in furtherance of a different conspiracy. 159 (emphasis added). The defense again objected to this later statement, but not on the ground asserted on appeal — namely, that the prosecutor's comments undercut the presumption of innocence. 160 Because a contemporaneous objection was made by defense counsel to the earlier statement, we review de novo the question of whether the argument was improper and review for abuse of discretion the court's ruling on whether the misconduct, if any, warrants a new trial. United States v. Hernandez, 218 F.3d 58, 68 (1st Cir.2000). We conclude that error occurred but that it does not warrant a new trial. 161 On appeal, the prosecution argues that these statements were an accurate description of the law. It also contends that its comments were invited by the improper argument of several defendants that their pleas of not guilty in this case were reliable indications of their innocence because if they were guilty they would have admitted it in this case, as they did in the state court. 162 The prosecution is wrong on both points. First, the prosecutor's comments did undermine the presumption of innocence. By saying that a plea of not guilty is not a declaration of innocence but simply means government, prove your case, the prosecutor undercut the axiomatic principle that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty and need not declare or prove that he is innocent. Regardless of the complex relationship between the presumption of innocence and the prosecution's duty to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt, see, e.g., Taylor v. Kentucky, 436 U.S. 478, 483-85, 98 S.Ct. 1930, 56 L.Ed.2d 468 (1978) (noting the scholarly debate concerning whether the presumption of innocence is analytically distinct from the requirement that the government prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt); McCormick on Evidence § 346 (5th ed.1999) (suggesting that the presumption of innocence is a convenient introduction to the statement of the burdens upon the prosecution), due process requires that both of these principles guide the jury in reaching its verdict. Taylor, 436 U.S. at 483-86, 98 S.Ct. 1930; Coffin v. United States, 156 U.S. 432, 453, 461, 15 S.Ct. 394, 39 L.Ed. 481 (1895). To undercut one, even if the other remains standing, is improper. It is for precisely this reason that a district court's failure to instruct the jury on the presumption of innocence may violate due process even when the jury has been properly informed of the prosecution's burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Taylor, 436 U.S. at 488-89, 98 S.Ct. 1930. 163 The prosecution's contention that the statements were a justified response to the argument of defense counsel is also incorrect. Although it is true that, in certain circumstances, a prosecutor's otherwise impermissible statements during closing argument may be allowable because they were invited by defense counsel, United States v. Henderson, 320 F.3d 92, 107 (1st Cir.2003), this was clearly not such a case. Defense counsel's argument that the defendants' pleas of not guilty in federal court were particularly trustworthy because the defendants had formerly pled guilty in state court was not improper and did not justify the prosecutor's response. 164 Not every prosecutorial error in making closing argument justifies a new trial, even when that error undermines constitutional rights. No reversible error occurs when the reviewing court determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the constitutional error was harmless. Wihbey, 75 F.3d at 772 n. 6; see also United States v. Hasting, 461 U.S. 499, 510-11, 103 S.Ct. 1974, 76 L.Ed.2d 96 (1983). As the Supreme Court has clarified, the relevant question is not what effect the constitutional error might generally be expected to have upon a reasonable jury, but rather what effect it had upon the guilty verdict in the case at hand. Sullivan v. Louisiana, 508 U.S. 275, 279, 113 S.Ct. 2078, 124 L.Ed.2d 182 (1993); see United States v. Rivera-Santiago, 107 F.3d 960, 967 (1st Cir. 1997). 165 We conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the prosecutor's improper closing argument did not prejudice the defendants in this case. The court gave curative instructions that established the presumption of innocence immediately after the prosecutor's first improper statement (the only time the defense made the appropriate objection). It then reinforced the presumption in its general instructions to the jury, noting that it is a cardinal principle of our system that every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent unless and until his/her guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt. Given those instructions and the strong evidence of guilt, we conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the statements did not affect the ultimate outcome of the case, especially when they occupied only several seconds in a six-month long trial. 166