Opinion ID: 1697707
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Denial of Bigham's Arguments

Text: Bigham next alleges the court abused its discretion by forbidding him to argue the State failed to prove the two counts of sexual battery and kidnapping it had already dismissed via the judgment of acquittal. Here, the trial court instructed the jury that the only charge remaining for the jury to decide was the charge of first-degree premeditated murder and that the jury should only concern itself with that charge. It is within the trial judge's discretion to determine when an attorney's argument is improper, and such determination will not be upset absent abuse of discretion by lower court judge. Watson v. State, 651 So.2d 1159, 1163 (Fla.1994). We agree that after the trial court's dismissal of those charges, the counts of sexual battery and kidnapping were no longer germane to the jury's consideration and were properly restricted from closing argument by the trial judge.