Opinion ID: 2076252
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Blood on Knife Recovered from Hunt

Text: Hunt next alleges that the trial judge erred when he denied Hunt's motion for a mistrial during the testimony of Major Hollis Thompson, Chief of Security at the Maryland Penitentiary. Major Thompson when testifying about a knife that was recovered from Hunt's cell, stated that the knife had a lot of blood on it. Upon objection by defense counsel, the trial judge instructed the jury to disregard Major Thompson's statement about the blood, but denied Hunt's motion for a mistrial. Hunt argues that Major Thompson's testimony was so prejudicial that only mistrial could cure the damage. [T]he declaration of a mistrial is an extraordinary act which should only be granted if necessary to serve the ends of justice. Jones, 310 Md. at 587, 530 A.2d at 752. This Court has recognized that granting a motion for a mistrial lies within the discretion of the trial judge. Poole v. State, 295 Md. 167, 183, 453 A.2d 1218, 1227 (1983). The trial judge, who hears the entire case and can weigh the danger of prejudice arising from improper testimony, is in the best position to determine if the extraordinary remedy of a mistrial is appropriate. We will not reverse a trial court's denial of a motion for mistrial unless the defendant was so clearly prejudiced that the denial constituted an abuse of discretion. Johnson v. State, 303 Md. 487, 516, 495 A.2d 1, 16 (1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1093, 106 S.Ct. 868, 88 L.Ed.2d 907 (1986) ( Johnson II ). We hold that Hunt was not so clearly prejudiced that the judge's denial of a mistrial constituted an abuse of discretion. There was no suggestion that Hunt had used this knife or any other weapon to assault any inmate or guard, nor is there any suggestion that, if the substance was in fact blood, it was not Hunt's. The judge took curative action when he instructed the jury to disregard Major Thompson's testimony about blood on the knife. This action of striking the single reference to blood on the knife in Thompson's testimony sufficiently cured any prejudice that may have occurred. Collins, 318 Md. at 287, 568 A.2d at 9.