Opinion ID: 3154798
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Hunter Test

Text: The final step of both harmless and plain error review is to apply the Hunter test to any instances of prosecutorial misconduct, regardless of whether the conduct passed the Hughes test or the Wainwright test. The Hunter test, as noted, considers “whether the prosecutor’s statements are repetitive errors that require reversal because they cast doubt on the integrity of the judicial process.”70 Here, of Spence’s alleged six instances of prejudicial misconduct, three of these can be considered prosecutorial misconduct: Slide 067, the slide that provides “[t]he defendant is guilty of all the charges against him[,]” and the slides describing the justification defenses. But, even when viewed together, these statements did not cast doubt on the integrity of the judicial process, particularly in light of the substantial amount of evidence presented in the case against Spence, including his own testimony. The trial court’s instructions were proper and there were no objections to them. Therefore, this Court finds that reversal is not warranted under the Hunter test.