Opinion ID: 1736847
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Prosecutorial Misconduct / Brady Violations

Text: In these assignments of error, the defendant argues that his conviction and death sentence should be reversed because of prosecutorial misconduct.
First, the defendant contends that the prosecutors suppressed exculpatory and impeachment material in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). The defendant points to the prosecutor's failure to disclose (1) Danna Nachampassak's taped statement, which he alleges contradicts her trial testimony on critical issues regarding her identification; (2) Detective Demma's supplemental police report which states that Troy Roberts was unable to identify the defendant as the shooter when he viewed him through a one-way mirror at the police station; (3) any reports or statements regarding Eric Jagneaux's identification of the defendant; and (4) descriptions given at the time of the crime of the shooter and his clothing, which did not match the sweatshirt introduced into evidence. In Brady, the Supreme Court held that the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to the accused violates a defendant's due process rights where the evidence is material either to guilt or punishment, without regard to the good or bad faith of the prosecution. 373 U.S. at 87, 83 S.Ct. at 1196-1197. The Brady rule encompasses evidence which impeaches the testimony of a witness when the reliability or credibility of that witness may be determinative of guilt or innocence. United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 676, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 3380, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985); Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 154, 92 S.Ct. 763, 765, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972); State v. Knapper, 579 So.2d 956, 959 (La.1991). Still, Brady and its progeny do not establish a general rule of discoverability. A prosecutor does not breach his constitutional duty to disclose favorable evidence unless the omission is of sufficient significance to result in the denial of the defendant's right to a fair trial. United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 112, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 2400, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976). For purposes of Brady 's due process rule, a reviewing court determining materiality must ascertain not whether the defendant would more likely than not have received a different verdict with the evidence, but whether in its absence he received a fair trial, understood as a trial resulting in a verdict worthy of confidence. Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 434, 115 S.Ct. 1555, 1566, 131 L.Ed.2d 490 (1995) (citing Bagley, 473 U.S. at 678, 105 S.Ct. at 3381); Strickland, 683 So.2d at 234 (citing State v. Marshall, 94-0461, p. 14 (La.9/5/95), 660 So.2d 819, 825). Thus, the reviewing court does not apply an out-come-determinative test; rather, a Brady violation occurs when the court finds that the evidentiary suppression `undermines confidence in the outcome of the trial.' Kyles, 514 U.S. at 434, 115 S.Ct. at 1566 (quoting Bagley, 473 U.S. at 678, 105 S.Ct. at 3381). First, the defendant argues that the prosecutor's failure to disclose Danna Nachampassak's taped statement violated his due process rights because it denied him the ability to impeach her identification. Specifically, the defendant asserts that her taped statement contradicts her trial testimony on critical issues such as her view of the shooter, her identification of the hooded sweatshirt allegedly worn by the shooter, and whether she intended to drive on the day of the shooting. However, a fair comparison of Danna's statement with her trial testimony reveals little difference between the two narratives. Only minor discrepancies are detectable, such as Danna's pretrial statement that she was still outside the car when she saw the gunman approaching as compared to her testimony at trial that she was in the process of getting in the car when she first saw him. The defendant also points to the inconsistency of Danna's identification of the perpetrator's clothing, pointing out that in her pretrial statement, she described the clothing as jeans and a t-shirt, but that during direct examination, she indicated that the shooter wore dark clothing, dark jeans, and a long sleeved shirt. However, the differences complained of by the defendant do not constitute significant inconsistencies nor undermine the reliability of her testimony. Moreover, defense counsel cross-examined Danna at trial concerning the reliability of her identification, her description of the perpetrator's clothing, and her narrative of the events on the day of the shooting. Thus, we find that the discrepancies the defendant points to do not undermine confidence in the verdict. Kyles, 514 U.S. at 434, 115 S.Ct. at 1566. Next, the defendant maintains that the supplemental police report prepared by Detective Demma shows that Troy Roberts was initially unable to identify the defendant as the shooter because the perpetrator's face had been covered, even though he insisted at trial that he positively identified the defendant at the police station. The defendant also claims that the prosecutor knowingly elicited false testimony from Roberts by asking him if he identified the defendant from a photographic lineup when the prosecutor knew Roberts had only identified the co-defendant's, Lamont Sylvester's, photograph. Roberts, an eyewitness to the Nachampassak murder, testified at trial that he had identified the defendant through a one-way mirror at the police station on the day of the shooting. [6] He also testified at trial and during a pretrial hearing that he had chosen the defendant's picture from a photographic lineup. When Detective Demma was called to testify after Roberts, he stated that the witness had never been shown a photographic lineup with the defendant's picture, but that the witness had viewed the defendant through a one-way mirror at the police station. Additionally, Detective Demma stated that Roberts had been unable to positively identify the defendant, because the shooter had worn a mask over his face. As an initial matter, appellate counsel admits in a footnote in her brief that the portion of the supplemental police report concerning Roberts's failure to identify the defendant had been turned over to the defense during discovery. Furthermore, through Detective Demma's testimony at the preliminary hearing, the prosecution divulged the favorable information that Roberts could not positively identify the defendant as the shooter. Thus, the defendant does not even meet the threshold showing that the prosecution suppressed the information. Brady, 373 U.S. at 88, 83 S.Ct. at 1197; Bagley, 473 U.S. at 678-684, 105 S.Ct. at 3381-3385. Moreover, at trial, Detective Demma again stated that Roberts failed to identify the defendant despite Roberts's testimony otherwise. Defense counsel capitalized on the discrepancy during his closing argument, attacking Roberts's credibility and urging the jury to reject his entire testimony because he lied. Finally, in its general charge, the trial court told jurors that they may disregard the testimony of any witness they determine has lied on any material point. As to the defendant's claim regarding the prosecution having elicited false testimony from Roberts with respect to his statement that he had identified the defendant from a photographic lineup, it is also without merit. If a prosecutor allows a state witness to give false testimony without correction, a reviewing court must reverse the conviction gained as a result of that perjured testimony, even if the testimony goes only to the credibility of the witness. Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264, 269, 79 S.Ct. 1173, 1177, 3 L.Ed.2d 1217 (1959); State v. Broadway, 96-2659, p. 17 (La.10/19/99), 753 So.2d 801, 814; State v. Williams, 338 So.2d 672, 677 (La.1976). Upon a review of Roberts's trial testimony, it is clear that Roberts was simply confused over whether he had identified the defendant or the co-defendant, Lamont Sylvester, from a photographic lineup. However, at the close of direct examination, the prosecution indicated to the court that Roberts was never shown a photographic lineup depicting the defendant. When the prosecutor made clear that Roberts had not been shown a photographic lineup with the defendant's picture, but that he had chosen Lamont Sylvester's photograph from a lineup as the second man at the scene of the shooting, Roberts's explained his pretrial testimony: Iwhat I probably meant was, I identified one man from photographs and I identified the shooter the day of the incident. But I didn't identify the shooter from pictures. I identified the shooter through a mirror. Additionally, defense counsel, armed with the suppression hearing transcript, extensively cross-examined the witness regarding his mistaken belief that he had identified the defendant from a photographic lineup. Consequently, there is no evidence of perjury. Within his Brady claims, the defendant also asserts that the prosecutor manufactured Eric Jagneaux's testimony identifying the defendant from the wound on his shoulder, because the police reports make no mention of this identification. While the police reports do not address Jagneaux's identification of the defendant's injuries, they do make clear that Jagneaux did not positively identify the defendant as the perpetrator. At trial, Jagneaux testified that he saw the perpetrator fire his gun at Danna Nachampassak's car and witnessed the gunman fall to the ground on his left shoulder after the victim's father tackled him. Later that day, Jagneaux viewed the defendant through a oneway mirror and indicated that the wounds on the defendant's shoulder matched up to where the guy hit the ground. Nevertheless, Jagneaux conceded that he was unable to identify the defendant positively as the gunman, because he did not recognize his face. Furthermore, Detective Demma testified at the at trial that Jagneaux was unable to make an identification of the defendant's face. In addition, defense counsel cross-examined the witness concerning the reliability of his identification and attacked Jagneaux's testimony by pointing out that the defendant's wound appeared on his right shoulder, although Jagneaux claimed the defendant fell on his left shoulder. Consequently, the defendant has not raised a valid Brady issue, and this argument is without merit. In his final Brady claim, the defendant complains that pretrial descriptions given by five witnesses as to the shirt worn by the perpetrator are inconsistent with the actual sweatshirt introduced into evidence during trial. Of the five witnesses noted by the defendant, only four testified at trial: Eric Jagneaux, Troy Roberts, and Vorana and Danna Nachampassak. The fifth witness, Grace Starr, gave a statement to the police; however, she did not testify at trial. With the exception of Danna's more descriptive testimony at trial, [7] the defendant fails to show any significant discrepancies between the statements of these witnesses and their testimony at trial. Furthermore, the witnesses' pretrial descriptions and testimony appear to be consistent with the shirt they identified at trial, as they all described the shirt worn by the gunman as black or dark, long-sleeved, and having a stripe across the middle. Finally, the defendant points to the description furnished by Grace Starr, a witness who did not testify at trial. In her statement, Starr indicates that the two perpetrators, whom she described as chasing each other, wore shirts with a light blue, light denim, sky blue color. However, a review of Starr's statement reveals a great deal of hesitation on her part; in fact, she ended her remarks by stating, And I can't recall really ... ever really seein' a thing. Thus, even assuming the prosecution improperly withheld this evidence, Starr's description would have had little impeachment or exculpatory value in light of her uncertainty, the testimony of the other three eyewitnesses who identified the shirt at trial, and the remaining pretrial statements, which corroborate the clothing descriptions provided at trial.
Within these assignments of error, the defendant next claims that, throughout the guilt and penalty phases of trial, the prosecutor aggressively engaged in a pattern of misconduct calculated to undermine the defendant's right to a fair trial. The defendant argues that (1) the prosecutor argued facts not in evidence, primarily as to the weather the day on which the defendant was arrested, whether the police officers had actually seen the defendant discarding clothing before his arrest, and why there was no fingerprint evidence; (2) the prosecutor improperly suggested that the defendant had committed other crimes, and (3) during the penalty phase, the prosecutor impermissibly argued biblical authority for the death sentence. As to the defendant's assertion that the prosecutor argued facts not in evidence during the guilt phase of the trial, none of those arguments point to any reversible error. Regardless, the defendant waived these claims based on prosecutorial misconduct as defense counsel failed to object to any of the comments at the time they were made. Taylor, 669 So.2d at 369. The defendant also claims that the prosecutor engaged in misconduct during its cross-examination of Chantal Cannon, the defendant's alibi witness who testified that she and the defendant were in her apartment until 6:00 p.m. on November 4, 1996, the day Gary Booker was murdered. First, while questioning the witness about her testimony that the defendant left her apartment around 6:00 p.m. and later returned with money, the prosecutor remarked, Clifford went and robbed somebody for that $50, didn't he? At that point, defense counsel objected and asked for a mistrial which the trial court denied after sustaining the objection. The prosecutor then continued making improper remarks by commenting, I don't blame you, after Ms. Cannon indicated that she had never left the defendant alone in her apartment. Next, the prosecutor in his rebuttal argument continued his attack by asking the jury, Now, where do you go get money in the St. Thomas project on a Saturday night. ATM machine? He looks like he's got an ATM card to you? After defense counsel objected, the trial court sustained the objection and instructed the prosecutor to refrain from comment[ing] like that. Finally, in closing argument at the guilt phase, the prosecutor argued: And armed robbers and people that are criminals tend to take the clothing off because sometimes-[defense objection overruled] Sometimes they take their clothes off because people are going to remember black or purple clothing or whatever clothing it is. So you take the clothing off as you're running back to home base. Back to home. Back to where you know. Back to 2062 Annunciation where your girlfriend lives. In the defendant's view, the prosecutor's remarks implied criminal conduct on part of the defendant and were intended to inflame the passions of the jury. While the inference raised by the prosecutor during cross-examination of Ms. Cannon was better suited to closing argument, the trial court admonished the prosecutor and instructed the jury to disregard the remarks. The defendant has not demonstrated that those remarks, which the trial judge properly instructed the jury to disregard, warranted a mistrial, La.Code Crim. Proc. art. 770, or that they so influenced the jury as to undermine the reliability of the jury's verdict. Thus, this claim is also without merit. Turning to the defendant's argument of improper argument regarding the penalty phase, the defendant asserts that the prosecutor's eye for an eye [8] argument, along with references to Moses and the Ten Commandments, impermissibly suggested that God's law required the imposition of the death penalty. [9] In State v. Monroe, 397 So.2d 1258, 1271 (La.1981), we criticized the eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth argument as improper, but found no reversible error since the argument when considered as a whole lost much of its objectionable flavor. The same can be said of the instant case. Moreover, we do not find that the prosecutor's improper remarks so influenced, prejudiced, or diverted the jurors from their sentencing obligations, which the trial judge correctly set forth in his charge to them after argument, that they contributed to their recommended sentence of death. See State v. Howard, 98-0064 p. 14 (La.4/23/99), 751 So.2d 783, 801.
In his final argument within these assignments, the defendant contends that the prosecution discussed the instant case with the media, in violation of a gag order imposed by the trial court. However, as the defendant points out, the complained-of comments were published in the newspaper and televised after the voir dire examination had commenced; thus, there is little chance that the sequestered jury was exposed to media coverage of the trial. Moreover, a review of the newspaper articles reveals that defense counsel also violated the gag order, informing reporters that he planned to proveat least in the NaChampassak murderthat the identification of his client by the infant's mother is unreliable. See Alfred Charles, Baby's Accused Killer on Trial, Times Picayune, August 26, 1996, at A6. Television coverage submitted by appellate counsel also shows both the prosecution and the defense holding press conferences with the media. Under these circumstances, the defendant has not demonstrated any prejudice sufficient to require a reversal.