Opinion ID: 2454804
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mercy Argument

Text: The first particularized claim is that the prosecutor stated that the jury should impose the death penalty because that was the only sentence [the jury could] impose to show justice and to show mercy to those people, to the people in the courtroom. Defense counsel objected to the statement and requested a mistrial. The trial court sustained the objection, but overruled the motion for a mistrial. The trial court then granted the prosecutor permission to rephrase the comment, but did not advise the jury that the objection had been sustained. Deck argues that the trial court's inaction violated his rights to due process of law, a fair trial, reliable sentencing, and to be free from cruel and unusual punishment as guaranteed by the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and article I, sections 10, 18(a) and 21 of the Missouri Constitution. Deck's argument focuses on the fact that the trial judge did not advise the jury that the objection had been sustained. However, Deck never requested that the trial court advise the jury that the objection was sustained, and, instead, the trial court took sufficient curative action on its own initiative and properly instructed the prosecuting attorney to rephrase his argument. The need for curative action assumes, of course, that the prosecutor's mercy argument was improper in the first place. Prosecutors may discuss the concept of mercy in their closing arguments because mercy is a valid sentencing consideration, Rousan, 961 S.W.2d at 851, and in that connection may argue that the defendant should not be granted mercy. Prosecutors cannot, however, argue that the jurors may not lawfully grant a defendant mercy by imposing a life sentence. Id. In this case, the prosecutor did not argue that the jurors could not lawfully grant mercy on appellant; thus, Deck's argument has no merit.