Opinion ID: 1684864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 20

Heading: Improper Remarks

Text: Anderson urges for his next point that the circuit court should have declared a mistrial, sua sponte, after the prosecutor made comments regarding (1) Anderson's relationship with his grandmother, and (2) Jeannie Magee's relationship to Anderson as his probation officer. He claims that the prosecutor's statements regarding his relationship with his grandmother were made to draw attention to the fact that Anderson did not testify on his own behalf, in violation of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He further asserts that the prosecutor's comments about Magee being Anderson's probation officer were improper because (1) the circuit court had granted Anderson's motion in limine to exclude such statements, and (2) the comments regarding Magee's actions towards Anderson were not part of the trial record. Thus, he contends, the comments were calculated to arouse the passions and anger of the jury to obtain a death verdict. He also maintains that a mistrial should have been granted when the prosecutor made comments during the sentencing closing argument which were calculated to diminish the jury's sense of responsibility for imposing the death penalty. Anderson first takes issue with the following statement made by the prosecutor during his closing argument at the sentencing phase with regard to mitigation: ... And I ask you to look carefully about how some of these things are worded. You know, just like the next one. Justin Anderson has a loving relationship with his grandmother, Susie. Well, if that was to have read Susie Anderson loves Justin Anderson, we had some proof of that, but did we have any proof of it the other way? Cause she told us she loved him, and I believed her, but did we have it the way they've got it worded. That's what I'm saying. It's just kind of some legalize lawyer stuff.... Anderson concedes that he did not object to the prosecutor's statement but claims that the court should have, sua sponte, declared a mistrial. Nonetheless, we conclude that this issue regarding self-incrimination falls within the third exception in Wicks v. State, supra , i.e., a serious error invoking the circuit court's duty to intervene, such as during closing argument, to correct the error either by admonition or by ordering a mistrial. See Isom v. State, supra . That being said, this court has previously set forth the following procedure for determining whether an improper comment has been made on a defendant's failure to testify: First, we determine whether the comment itself is an improper comment on the defendant's failure to testify. The basic rule is that a prosecutor may not draw attention to the fact of, or comment on, the defendant's failure to testify, because this then makes the defendant testify against himself in violation of the Fifth Amendment. A veiled reference to the defendant's failure to testify is improper, as well. Should we determine that the prosecutor's closing argument statement did indeed refer to [the defendant's] choice not to testify, we would then determine whether it can be shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the error did not influence the verdict. Jones v. State, 340 Ark. 390, 402, 10 S.W.3d 449, 456 (2000). After conducting this analysis, we conclude that the comment itself was not improper. While it is true that Anderson most definitely could have testified about his love for his grandmother, it is just as likely that another family member, or his grandmother herself, could have testified about that relationship. In short, there were many avenues for substantiating that relationship, and we cannot conclude that the jury viewed the only proof alluded to by the prosecutor as coming from the lips of Anderson. We cannot say that the circuit court erred in failing to declare a mistrial. Anderson further challenges the court's failure, sua sponte, to grant a mistrial based on the prosecutor's argument with regard to Jeannie Magee: ... And one person he chose to abuse a relationship was Jeannie Magee, his probation officer in juvenile court at the time he got committed to the DYS. She gave him opportunities to go to Job Corp, to get in everything. In all programs. . . . Anderson contends that because the statement was made in violation of the court's order granting his motion in limine to exclude testimony that Magee was his probation officer, and because the comments regarding Magee's acts towards Anderson were not a part of the record before the jury, they too were calculated to arouse the passions and anger of the jury to obtain a verdict of death. Again, Anderson urges that while he failed to object to the comment, it fell within the third Wicks exception and the trial court erred in not ordering a mistrial. We disagree that this situation falls within a Wicks exception to our requirement that a contemporaneous objection be made to any perceived error at trial. In Anderson v. State, 354 Ark. 102, 118 S.W.3d 574 (2003), this court specifically held that where a motion in limine on an issue had been granted, it was appellant's burden to obtain a ruling on his motion when it appeared that the trial court's previous ruling was being violated; and, because the trial court failed to rule on appellant's objection, appellant's argument is, therefore, procedurally barred. [11] 354 Ark. at 106-08, 118 S.W.3d at 577. In the instant case, Anderson did not object at all to the prosecutor's statements regarding Ms. Magee. We conclude that the asserted error is not preserved for our review. Finally, Anderson challenges arguments made by the prosecutor in the sentencing phase to which he did make an objection: The question of death, and I've thought about it. You know, its unnatural, kind of, in a way, you know, to say, hey, put this guy to death. But he deserves it. And when we think about punishment and how it should be administered, we've got to think about the proof we're required, and the line a person crosses. This defendant chose, with his life style, and now with his actions, that have been proven to you beyond a reasonable doubt, that he's crossed that line. He's on the other side, where the ultimate punishment is the punishment he deserves. He's there. Ain't no doubt about that. He's there, and if y'all find enough mitigators to say, I just can't do it, but he's crossed that line. He's there. In all cases involving the death penalty, every one of you have to search your souls. I know it's tough. It's easy up here on me, and I'm asking for the State of Arkansas to give it, but you're the one who has to sign that form. It's the last step in the process. Law enforcement has done their job, the victim's family have done their job, I've tried to do my job to the best of my ability, and there's one more step. Juries, by their verdicts, a death penalty case it's a lot about punishing that person for what he did, but also, by our verdicts we tell society about where this line is. Following this argument, defense counsel objected on the basis that the State could not advocate sending a societal message about punishment and imposing the death penalty. Anderson urges on appeal that the State's argument was improper as it diminished the jury's responsibility. We must disagree. If anything, the State's argument emphasized what a monumental decision it is to impose the death penalty but that that is indeed the jury's role. Anderson relies on the United States Supreme Court's decision in Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320, 105 S.Ct. 2633, 86 L.Ed.2d 231 (1985), for the proposition that arguments which lessen the jury's sense of responsibility are not permissible. In Coulter v. State, 304 Ark. 527, 804 S.W.2d 348 (1991), this court observed that the United States Supreme Court's specific concern in Caldwell was with the attempt of a prosecutor to make jurors think that `others', in that case an appellate court, would ultimately be responsible for the death of the person they were asked to sentence to that fate. 304 Ark. at 538, 804 S.W.2d at 354. We then stated that in determining the merits of Coulter's claims, we had to examine whether the prosecutor violated the Supreme Court's admonition against attempting to make the jury less cognizant of the `gravity of its task' and less aware of its `truly awesome responsibility.' Id., 804 S.W.2d at 354. We conclude that the prosecutor's statements in the instant case did not violate the standard set out in Caldwell . If anything, the prosecutor's comments magnified the gravity of the jury's task and amplified its responsibility. There was no reversible error under this point. [12]