Opinion ID: 1690126
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 21

Heading: did the trial court properly explain to jordan his right to allocution?

Text: ś 127. This issue is procedurally barred since there was no contemporaneous objection. Notwithstanding the procedural bar, we will address the merits of Jordan's claim. ś 128. Jordan expressed a desire to make an unsworn statement to the jury. The trial judge, in advising him of the ramifications of making such a statement, told Jordan that he must confine his statement to the evidence that was in the record and that the consequences of not confining his statement to the evidence of record would be that the State would be able to comment on his failure to take the stand. Actually, we have held that the result of a criminal defendant making an unsworn statement that exceeds the scope of the evidence is that the State can point out to the jury that no such statement was made under oath. Bevill v. State, 556 So.2d 699, 710-11 (Miss.1990). ś 129. While the trial court's statement was not exactly a true statement of the law, neither did it likely unduly prejudice Jordan. The trial judge asked Jordan to make a statement on the record for purposes of appellate review concerning why he decided not to make a statement to the jury. Jordan's response was that he felt his statement would go beyond the scope of the proof that was in evidence and that he preferred to just let his attorneys argue the evidence. Jordan did not state that he feared what the State might say about his failure to take the stand. He merely suggested he wanted to stay within the confines of the admitted evidence. Therefore, he was not prejudiced by the trial judge's slight misstatement of the consequences of his exercising his right to allocution.