Opinion ID: 4237534
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Appealing to jurors’ passions

Text: ¶108 During his closing argument, the prosecutor stated that Officer Holly “was the first to answer the call. It was the call to his death.” Hulsey claims that this and the prosecutor’s recitation of the victim impact 33 STATE V. HULSEY Opinion of the Court statement including Officer Holly’s father’s statement during the penalty phase of visualizing his son’s “last agonizing moments” and his “[attempt] to breathe” improperly appealed to jurors’ passions. Both claims fail. ¶109 Statements are improper if they (1) “call to the attention of the jurors matters that they would not be justified in considering in determining their verdict, and (2) [there is a high] probability that the jurors, under the circumstances of the particular case, were influenced by the remarks.” State v. Jones, 197 Ariz. 290, 305 ¶ 37 (2000) (citing Hansen, 156 Ariz. at 296–97). ¶110 Both claims were unobjected-to, and therefore to warrant reversal must present fundamental error. Here, the “call to his death” comment did not improperly appeal to the passions of the jury. The statements were not outside of the matters to be considered by the jurors, nor was there a high probability the jurors were influenced by the remarks. No error occurred. ¶111 In Burns, 237 Ariz. at 30 ¶¶ 141–42, this Court cautioned against piling up victim impact evidence for fear that it may cross the line. There, however, the state presented more than a dozen victim impact statements, some from people who never met the victim. Id. This Court noted that brief remarks about visualizing a victim’s final moments were not unduly prejudicial. Id. ¶ 141. Hulsey objects to statements from Officer Holly’s mother and father that briefly mentioned the last moments of their son’s life. Here the statements were not unduly prejudicial and no fundamental error occurred.