Opinion ID: 2310175
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Risk of jury confusion

Text: When a defendant is charged with multiple crimes that are similar in character, there is always a risk that the jury will confuse and cumulate the evidence against the defendant. Joint trial is nonetheless permissible under such circumstances when the jury can easily keep such evidence separate in their deliberations.... Cox v. United States, 498 A.2d 231, 235 (D.C. 1985). Jones argues that the government failed to keep the evidence of his involvement in the shootings separate and distinct from the evidence of his perjury. The separate and distinct requirement applies only when the crimes are similar in character, and there is a danger that the jury will use the evidence of one crime as proof of the other. In Cox, for example, the defendant was charged with committing two rapes. We held that we could not sustain the denial of severance on the separate and distinct ground because the prosecutor had focused on the similarities between the two rapes and merged his references to the two offenses in opening statement and closing argument. Id. at 237 (footnote omitted). That did not happen in the instant case. For two reasons, there was no danger that the jury would find Jones guilty of perjury because of the evidence of his involvement in the shootings. First, the two crimes were not similar in character, so that the likelihood of jury confusion was virtually nil. Second, the trial court carefully instructed the jury that the guilt of either defendant on any of the charges should not influence their verdict as to the other defendant. This court has held that such an instruction will remedy any potential spillover effect. Payne v. United States, 516 A.2d 484, 490-491 (D.C. 1986). Thus Jones' claim that the government failed to keep the evidence of the assaults and the perjury separate and distinct cannot support his claim of plain error in the court's failure to grant a severance sua sponte.