Opinion ID: 541736
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Prosecutor's Summations

Text: 20 Each of the appellants contends that he was denied a fair trial because of certain statements by the prosecutor during summation. We conclude that the contentions of Moon and Phillips have no merit. Though the statement challenged by Parker gives us pause, we conclude that it is not ground for reversal.
21 In an effort to provide innocent explanations for his actions, Parker argued that his first telephone call on the morning of May 13, shortly after he learned the schedule of the car going to the AT&T building and began his own route, was in fact merely a wake-up call to his sister. A Payroll employee who rode with Parker on May 13 testified that Parker had said that call was to his sister. An FBI agent also testified that in a postarrest interview Parker said that call was to his sister. 22 In urging the jury to reject this explanation, the prosecutor pointed out in her initial summation, over objection, that Parker had failed to call his sister as a witness at trial to corroborate his story. After noting that Parker had no duty, no obligation to call anyone to testify at this trial, the prosecutor pointed out that Parker had in fact called one witness and she argued as follows: 23 The burden rests entirely on the government to prove Eric Parker's guilt, and to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, but I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, since Eric Parker decided to call witnesses, why didn't he call his sister to say on the morning of the robbery he called me. 24 What's the answer to that question, ladies and gentlemen-- 25 MR. GOLUB [Parker's attorney]: Judge, I have an objection. 26 THE COURT: I think what counsel has said is permissible, I'll permit the argument. 27 MS. DALY [Assistant United States Attorney]: Thank you, your Honor. 28 Why didn't he call his sister? He didn't call his sister to the stand, ladies and gentlemen, because he didn't call his sister on the morning of May 13th. He called Kieth [sic ] Moon, just as the plan was to call Kieth [sic ] Moon after he found out the information so that the robbery would go off smoothly. 29 Parker contends that this summation deprived him of a fair trial in part because it suggested to the jury that he had some obligation to call his sister as a witness. In addition, he points out that investigators had interviewed his sister, who told them that Parker had telephoned her at about 6:30 a.m. on May 13. Thus, he argues that the summation was in bad faith. Though these arguments give ground for concern, we are not persuaded that they warrant reversal. 30 A prosecutor who wishes to argue in summation that the government's evidence has been largely uncontradicted must walk a fine line. On the one hand, she is entitled to comment on a defendant's failure to call witnesses to contradict the factual character of the government's case, ... as well as his failure to support his own factual theories with witnesses. United States v. Bubar, 567 F.2d 192, 199 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 872, 98 S.Ct. 217, 54 L.Ed.2d 151 (1977). On the other hand, she must avoid commenting in a way that trenches on the defendant's constitutional rights and privileges. For example, she may not permissibly comment on the failure of the defendant to testify, see id.; United States v. Gotchis, 803 F.2d 74, 81 (2d Cir.1986), or invite the jury to presume in the absence of countervailing evidence that the government's view of the case is correct, see id. at 80-81, or suggest that the defendant has any burden of proof or any obligation to adduce any evidence whatever, see, e.g., United States v. Walker, 835 F.2d 983, 988-89 (2d Cir.1987); United States v. Cruz, 797 F.2d 90, 93 n. 1 (2d Cir.1986); see also United States v. Pena, 793 F.2d 486, 491 (2d Cir.1986) (improper for prosecutor to comment on defendant's motive in entering into factual stipulation). 31 In order to obtain reversal of a conviction on the ground that the prosecutor has crossed the boundary between permissible and impermissible argument, a defendant must show that the improper argument caused him substantial prejudice. See, e.g., United States v. Walker, 835 F.2d at 988; United States v. Nersesian, 824 F.2d 1294, 1327 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 958, 108 S.Ct. 357, 98 L.Ed.2d 382 (1987); United States v. Cruz, 797 F.2d at 93 n. 1. In determining whether the defendant has suffered such prejudice, we consider the seriousness of the misconduct, the measures adopted by the trial court to cure the misconduct, and the certainty of conviction absent the improper statements. See, e.g., United States v. Walker, 835 F.2d at 988; United States v. Nersesian, 824 F.2d at 1329; United States v. Modica, 663 F.2d 1173, 1181 (2d Cir.1981) (per curiam), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 989, 102 S.Ct. 2269, 73 L.Ed.2d 1284 (1982). Even where the prosecutor's argument was clearly impermissible, we have been reluctant to reverse where the transgression was isolated, the trial court took swift and clear steps to correct the implication of the argument, and the evidence against the defendant was strong. See, e.g., United States v. Cruz, 797 F.2d at 93 n. 1 (in light of the record, the argument as a whole, and the curative instructions, prosecutor's improper statement that [t]he defense ... has to convince you was not ground for reversal). 32 We are unable to conclude that the part of the summation challenged by Parker calls for reversal. While the form of the argument, i.e., repeated questions as to why Parker had not summoned his sister to testify, may well have suggested to the jury that Parker had failed to fulfill some obligation, the prosecutor had begun this portion of the argument by stating that Parker had no obligation to call any witness and that the burden rested solely on the government to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. We consider the possible implication of the argument as a whole to be far less serious than the statement in Cruz that the defendant had the burden of persuasion. 33 Further, following this summation, Judge Haight, at Parker's request, instructed the jury that no defendant is under any obligation to put in any evidence, to pursue or initiate any particular line of inquiry, or to call any particular witness. He instructed the jury not to speculate as to why a particular defendant did or did not call a particular potential witness. During its general instructions to the jury, the court twice repeated the substance of this cautionary instruction. 34 Finally, we note that the other evidence against Parker, including his unprecedented inquiries of Hochron on the morning of May 13 with respect to the delivery to the AT&T building, his rental of the car used to block the pertinent intersection during the robbery, the permissible inference that his first call that morning was to Moon, and his proven 7:30 a.m. call to Moon, made it highly probable that the jury would have convicted Parker without reference to his failure to summon his sister as a witness. 35 We also reject Parker's contention that the summation argument was in bad faith because prior to trial his sister had told the government that Parker called her. Though the government concedes that the sister made this unsworn statement in an interview, it was not required to credit her statement or to believe that she would have repeated it under oath. 36 We conclude that the summation is not ground for reversal of Parker's conviction.
37 In the robbery, both Payroll guards were shot and seriously injured. One, Hiram McMillion, recovered sufficiently to testify at trial; the other, Joshua Boyd, remained in a coma. In order to minimize the jury's attention to the injuries suffered in the robbery, the parties entered into a stipulation, which was read to the jury, stating that Boyd would not testify for medical reasons. Moon contends that the prosecutor, in her rebuttal summation, injected the prejudicial suggestion that Boyd had died from his wounds. The background of this argument is as follows. 38 When the police arrived at the robbery scene, they directed that everyone who had nothing to do with the robbery move back. Candace Kwong, one of the Payroll cashiers who had been in the car, said, I have something to do with it, I know everyone involved, it was my fault. Defendants sought to emphasize this statement at the first trial, attempting to show that Kwong, not Parker, was the robbers' contact inside Payroll. In her rebuttal summation, the prosecutor sought to explain Kwong's statement, arguing that 39 Kwong was a victim in this case. She was a witness of the shooting of Hiram McMillion, a man she worked with, a man she cared about. She was hysterical after the shooting. The eyewitnesses that saw her all testified to that.... 40 She didn't remember being questioned by the police. Police Officer Hunt testified that she was and that she said, I'm involved, I knew everyone, it was my fault. What did she mean, ladies and gentlemen? The government suggests that what she meant is she was involved, she was a victim of the crime. She did know everyone involved. She knew the people that were there, the people that were lying in the street. The robbers weren't there. She knew the victims. It was her fault. 41 What does she mean when she says it was her fault? She had just seen a man, two men, get gunned down. She felt a tremendous amount of guilt. I'm fine, they are lying on the street. She didn't know that Hiram McMillion would luckily survive. 42 Defendants immediately objected to this statement and, when the court later entertained argument, moved for a mistrial. They argued that by stating that McMillion survived, the prosecutor improperly suggested that Boyd had not. 43 Judge Haight denied the motion, viewing defendants' argument as 44 farfetched. Kwong testified that after the robbery she sat with McMillion as he lay wounded on the street for ten minutes waiting for an ambulance.... The government's attorney acted reasonably when she called the jury's attention to Kwong's concern for McMillion. There is no reason to believe the prosecutor's comments were calculated to call attention to Boyd's condition, or that they even did so. If her comments could be taken as saying anything about Boyd's medical condition, they were ambiguous in that regard, especially in light of the parties' stipulation which clearly said he was simply unavailable for unspecified medical reasons, a clear indication Boyd was not dead. 45 Memorandum Opinion and Order dated March 7, 1989, at 17-18 (emphasis in original). 46 We affirm substantially for the reasons stated in Judge Haight's opinion. There is no suggestion, either in the trial record or in the arguments on appeal, that the prosecutor used a tone that emphasized McMillion's name; in the absence of any such emphasis, the stipulation that Boyd was unable to testify for medical reasons made it unlikely that the jury would infer that Boyd was dead. Further, to correct any possible misimpression, defendants could simply have asked the court to inform the jury that both guards had survived; there is no indication in the record that they requested such an instruction. 47 The district court was in the best position to assess the effect of the challenged statement on the jury. We see no basis in the record to overturn its determination that the prosecutor's statement was not likely to be misunderstood and did not warrant a mistrial.
48 At both the original trial and the subsequent trial of Phillips alone, the government relied to a great extent on the testimony of Smith for proof of the planning and execution of the robbery. At both trials, Smith's credibility was fiercely attacked, as it was brought out, inter alia, that Smith had a history of drug abuse and that he had made a number of false statements to the authorities in the early stages of the investigation. Phillips contends that at the second trial, the prosecutor improperly vouched for Smith's testimony by telling the jury that Jeffrey Smith told you the truth. We find no basis for reversal. 49 It is, of course, improper for the prosecution to vouch for the honesty of a witness. See, e.g., United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 8, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 1042, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985); United States v. Johnson, 331 F.2d 281, 282 (2d Cir.) (per curiam), cert. denied, 379 U.S. 905, 85 S.Ct. 196, 13 L.Ed.2d 178 (1964). The statement challenged by Phillips, however, viewed in context, was far more limited than he suggests. 50 The prosecutor noted that Phillips had cross-examined Smith at length and had been unable to shake his testimony. She suggested that the testimony had not changed because it was the truth, continuing as follows: 51 The government did not call Jeffrey Smith because he is a pillar of the community. The government called Jeffrey Smith because he is a friend of Gary Phillips. And he knew about this robbery. Jeffrey Smith got on the stand. He didn't pose as anyone he is not. He said: I have used drugs. I have sold drugs. I'm involved in this robbery. He told you the truth. 52 After Judge MacMahon overruled Phillips's objection, the prosecutor continued, inviting the jury to review Smith's cooperation agreement and to reason that that agreement gave Smith a motive to tell the truth in preference to lying; asking the jury to view Smith's testimony in light of the evidence that corroborated it, to wit, eyewitness testimony and postarrest statements by Phillips himself; and urging the jury to evaluate Smith's testimony in light of its internal logic and in light of the jury's own common sense. 53 While the prosecutor should avoid statements such as [the government's witness] told the truth, the record here reveals that the challenged statement was made in the context of an argument simply that Smith had acknowledged that he was not a model citizen. We conclude that, as a whole, the summation did not urge that the jury should accept Smith's testimony because the government believed it.