Opinion ID: 2633881
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Argument Assertedly Appealing to Jury's Fear of Crime

Text: At one point during his argument, the prosecutor discussed the prevalence of the crime of rape, and argued that defendant was beyond the ordinary rapist in that he not only wanted to satisfy his sexual lust and desire for control over his victims, but also chose to kill them. Defendant contends the prosecutor's comments that the prevalence of rape had caused society to act in a more protective and restrictive manner improperly played upon the generalized fears of the jurors. Defendant did not object to the prosecutor's statements below or request an admonition, and does not demonstrate that such objection would have been futile. He therefore may not raise this challenge on appeal. Even if we were to assume for the sake of argument that defendant's claim was preserved and that the prosecutor's reference to societal concerns about crime was improper, we would conclude that this isolated, brief remark, when viewed in the context of the entire argument, which focused on defendant's own culpability for these particular offenses, could not have inflamed the jury's passions to the point where the outcome of the trial was affected or the trial became fundamentally unfair.