Opinion ID: 1834364
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Was There Prosecutorial Misconduct in Regard to State's Closing Argument?

Text: Handley contends that during closing argument counsel for the State made impermissible comments by (1) injecting his personal emotions and opinions into the case; (2) vouching for one of the State's witnesses; (3) commenting by innuendo and supposition on Handley's failure to testify; (4) misstating the testimony of one of the State's witnesses; (5) down playing the seriousness of the case, thereby diminishing the responsibility of the jury; (6) commenting on the punishment facing Handley; (7) referencing other crimes and convictions of Handley; and (8) going wild with speculation. The comments complained of are reproduced here, verbatim: (1)(6)(7)(8) Ladies and gentlemen, you know these two convicted felons are in jail with this man up in Harrison County, and as one of them told you, he talked to him; Mr. Murphy. They're friends. They can't lose anything by lying for him. Come up here and we'll help you out. We're all in the same boat, we've all been convicted by the State. Let's get them back. This man is looking at going to the penitentiary, in the Court's discretion. That's up to his Honor, should you convict him. Why would his stepdaughter lie? Her mother is married to him. Blood is thicker than water. (R. 297). (2) Ladies and gentlemen, let me just clear something up for y'all very quickly. Mr. Langford is not a policeman now. He's working for a private attorney and he's been so far a long time. What does he have to gain coming up here to lie? He's not going going to commit perjury for something that's not true. He's a private citizen. He was a policeman for eleven years; did a very good job, always been honest. I've known him when I was a defense attorney for five years and now as a prosecutor, and whatever he says, you can believe. (R. 296) (3)(6) Ladies and gentlemen, you're very intelligent people; you're not stupid. You've been through a lot in life and I'm sure you can tell who's lying and who's telling the truth. Do you recall the testimony of another witness for the defendant, his stepdaughter? Keep in mind who has something to gain by lying. The police don't have anything. They work case after case. It's just their job. This defendant faces time in the penitentiary. He has everything to gain. Who does he bring forward; his stepdaughter and two convicted felons who were in jail with him. One was a very good friend  two are friends of him. One has been a friend for over ten years. (R. 287-88) (4) Now, each set was wrapped in tin foil. You heard that testimony. You have one set here, and you have this set that's been tested by Mr. Gross. (indicating) He tested both the blue pill which is the pyrobenzamine which is not a controlled substance, and the yellow pill which is the pentazocine. That is a controlled substance. It was pentazocine; period. He ran three separate tests on it. I consumed those two pills in that test. (R. 284) (5) If it please the Court, Mr. Ainsworth; I'm going to be reflecting back on the evidence as I recall it, and I'm sure defense counsel will be doing the same. If our recollection differs, you go with yours because you are the trier of the facts. You must decide what the facts in this case are. Remember I told you during voir dire that I'm not required to prove a perfect case and you said you would not hold me to that. I also told you that you sit here and determine the facts of the case, and you have to determine who's lying and who's telling the truth. Let's boil this case down to the very basic theme; who's lying, who's telling the truth. Are the two policemen lying or are they telling the truth, or are all these witnesses lying or are they telling the truth. (7) Like Mr. Langford told you, backed up the defense's own witness, Mr. Murphy, I would see him there. I told him November, December, and January, some forty or fifty times or more, on a daily basis sometimes, anywhere from, I think he said, 3:00 in the evening until 6:00 in the morning. He was there with known drug violators at Tim's Motel which is right next to the Hollywood Lounge. And he can't be in Jackson County and he can't be in Gulfport at the same time. (R. 298).
For this Court to consider claims of alleged erroneous comments of the prosecuting attorney in closing arguments, a contemporaneous objection must have been made; otherwise, the point is deemed waived. Livingston v. State, 525 So.2d 1300, 1307 (Miss. 1988); Monk v. State, 532 So.2d 592, 600 (Miss. 1988); Lanier v. State, 533 So.2d 473, 478 (Miss. 1988); Gray v. State, 487 So.2d 1304, 1312 (Miss. 1986); Messer v. State, 483 So.2d 338, 340 (Miss. 1986); Shavers v. State, 455 So.2d 1299, 1302 (Miss. 1984). However, if a comment is so inflammatory that the trial court should have objected on his own motion, the point may be considered. Gray at 1312. Accord Livingston v. State, 525 So.2d 1300, 1307 (Miss. 1988); Monk v. State, 532 So.2d 592 (Miss. 1988); Clemons v. State, 320 So.2d 368 (Miss. 1975); Griffin v. State, 292 So.2d 159 (Miss. 1974). Upon close examination of the record of closing arguments, we find no contemporaneous objection made by Handley's attorney at any point; nor do we find any of the comments by the prosecuting attorney to be inflammatory. Accordingly, this assignment has no merit.