Opinion ID: 396333
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mention of the Guilty Pleas of Absent Co-Defendants.

Text: 40 D'Alessandro also argues that a question propounded by counsel for co-defendant Berkowitz, inquiring whether defendants Korp and Hovan had pled guilty, prejudiced D'Alessandro and denied him a fair trial. Prior to this question by counsel for Berkowitz, the court during a sidebar conference had discussed with counsel whether or not the jury should be informed that Korp and Hovan had pled guilty. At the conclusion of that conference, the court cautioned the jury that they should not consider or speculate about why persons mentioned in the testimony were not present at trial. When the question was posed by counsel for Berkowitz, the prosecutor immediately objected. During the bench conference that ensued, D'Alessandro stated his objection to the question and moved for severance or a mistrial. These motions were denied. The trial judge sustained the objection and instructed the jury to disregard the question. The prosecutor proposed a further curative instruction but this was opposed by counsel for D'Alessandro. 41 In light of these facts, we hold that the asking of the question did not deprive D'Alessandro of a fair trial. The question was never answered and the jury was instructed to disregard it. The case is unlike United States v. Miranda, 593 F.2d 590 (5th Cir. 1979); United States v. Corona, 551 F.2d 1386 (5th Cir. 1977); and United States v. Hansen, 544 F.2d 778 (5th Cir. 1977), cited in appellant D'Alessandro's brief. In those cases, the prosecutor or the court affirmatively and gratuitously told the jury that the absent co-defendant had pled guilty. Here the jury had before them only a question posed by a co-defendant, and the prosecutor and the court did everything possible to protect the appellants from prejudice. The government objected in time to prevent an answer to the question to come before the jury, and suggested a curative instruction that was rejected by appellant D'Alessandro. The court sustained the objection, instructed the jury to disregard the question, and twice cautioned the jury that they should not consider why the persons mentioned were not present at trial. If we were to grant D'Alessandro a new trial on these facts, we would be inviting collusion and gamesmanship by future defendants seeking to manufacture their own mistrial. We decline to create an incentive for this sort of misconduct. 10 42