Opinion ID: 1775659
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: did prosecutorial misconduct result in a violation of cole's constitutional rights?

Text: Cole argues that his constitutional rights were violated in that the prosecution 1) used hypothetical questions during voir dire to force jurors to commit themselves to voting for the death penalty, and then compounded the error by referring to those commitments during closing argument, 2) mentioned the possibility of parole, and 3) asked the jury, during final argument, to disregard Cole's age at the time of the crime (58), which is enumerated in the statute as a mitigating circumstance. Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-101(6) (Supp. 1986) (effective 1983). Of the numerous instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct, Cole objected to only three (3). Counsel may not sit idly by making no protest as objectionable evidence is admitted, and then raise the issue for the first time on appeal. If no contemporaneous objection is made, the error, if any, is waived. This rule's applicability is not diminished in a capital case. Irving v. State, 498 So.2d 305 (Miss. 1986), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 107 S.Ct. 1986, 95 L.Ed.2d 826 (1987); Johnson v. State, 477 So.2d 196 (Miss. 1985), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1109, 106 S.Ct. 1958, 90 L.Ed.2d 366 (1986); In re Hill, 460 So.2d 792 (Miss. 1984); Hill v. State, 432 So.2d 427 (Miss.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 977, 104 S.Ct. 414, 78 L.Ed.2d 352 (1983). Defense counsel did object to three (3) instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct, but on each of the three (3) points, he failed to obtain a ruling from the trial court. When the district attorney told jurors, during voir dire, that they should not be influenced by sympathy, defense counsel objected, but no ruling on the objection appears in the record. Similarly, when defense counsel, during voir dire, told potential jurors they could consider mercy in deciding the case, the district attorney objected. Instead of ruling on the objection, the trial court once again gave the rather cryptic instruction, Move on. Finally, when the district attorney reminded jurors during closing argument that they had promised him they would not look for an excuse, defense counsel objected, but did not obtain a ruling from the trial court. Because the record includes no ruling by the trial court on any of these objections, they are waived. Hemmingway v. State, 483 So.2d 1335 (Miss. 1986); Cummings v. State, 465 So.2d 993 (Miss. 1985).