Opinion ID: 2802105
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony of Eddie Green

Text: For his first challenge to the denial of his motion for mistrial, these are the facts. During its case-in-chief, the State presented Eddie Green, a man who lived in the apartment beneath that of the Isom family. Green was at home at the time of the shootings and called 911 reporting gunfire. During his direct examination, Green testified that he heard a girl say, “daddy,” and that he heard Isom’s “daughter talking” inside the apartment just before the shooting began. Tr. at 7577, 7578. The trial court sustained defense counsel’s hearsay objection to this testimony and struck the references to “daddy” at counsel’s request. The trial court gave the following admonishment: “All right. Ladies and gentlemen, any comment about the words, ‘that was the daughter’ or ‘the daughter’, are ordered stricken from the record and you are to disregard that.” Tr. at 7583. Isom then moved for a mistrial, which the trial court denied. Later during trial Isom submitted a curative instruction which the trial court read to the jury. The instruction provided: “Any testimony from any witness which has been struck by the Court is not evidence and . . . you may not consider it for any purpose in this case.” Tr. at 7602-03, 7607. Ultimately Green was allowed to testify that he heard a “soft, calm” “female voice” and then heard “gunshots.” Tr. at 7609. Isom now claims error in the denial of his motion for mistrial. 8 “[A] mistrial is an extreme remedy that is only justified when other remedial measures are insufficient to rectify the situation.” Mickens v. State, 742 N.E.2d 927, 929 (Ind. 2001). Here Isom does not explain why the trial court’s admonishments—one of which was given at Isom’s request—were not sufficient. Indeed he acknowledges “[a] properly submitted admonition to the jury is presumed to cure any error in admission of the evidence,” Br. of Appellant at 27 (citation omitted), but nonetheless argues that the admonishment in this case “would not cause the jury to disregard Green’s testimony” as instructed. Id. We reject Isom’s argument. “On appeal, we must presume that the jury obeyed the court’s instructions in reaching its verdict.” Tyson v. State, 386 N.E.2d 1185, 1192 (Ind. 1979). As we have noted a “clear instruction, together with strong presumptions that juries follow courts’ instructions and that an admonition cures any error, severely undercuts the defendant’s position.” Lucio v. State, 907 N.E.2d 1008, 1010-11 (Ind. 2009) (rejecting defense argument of trial court error in denying motion for mistrial where trial court admonished the jury to disregard witness’s improper statement). The same is true here. We are not persuaded the trial court abused its discretion in denying Isom’s motion for mistrial.