Opinion ID: 1223708
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Responsibility of the prosecutor

Text: Pursuant to A.R.S. § 21-412, a person under investigation by a grand jury may present evidence to that grand jury. In relevant part, A.R.S. § 21-412 states: The grand jurors are under no duty to hear evidence at the request of the person under investigation, but may do so. ... The grand jurors shall weigh all the evidence received by them and when they have reasonable ground to believe that other evidence, which is available, will explain away the contemplated charge, they may require the evidence to be produced. (Emphasis added.) A defendant's right to request the grand jury to consider his evidence is implicit in the statute. It is even more clearly implicit in Rule 12.6, Ariz. R.Crim.P. [1] While the statute and rule make clear that the grand jury may but need not consider any evidence proffered by the defendant, they leave open the question of how the grand jury is to be informed that the defendant has evidence available or has requested to appear. Although the county attorney is not explicitly assigned the task of informing the grand jury that the defendant wishes to appear or submit exculpatory evidence, we have recognized that due process may require the county attorney to do so, especially when requested. Crimmins v. Superior Court, 137 Ariz. 39, 43-44, 668 P.2d 882, 886-87 (1983) (Feldman, J., specially concurring); see generally 38A C.J.S. Grand Juries §§ 168 & 169 (1996) (citing Crimmins and other cases for proposition that prosecutor's presentation must be fair and impartial; although prosecutor need not actually present exculpatory evidence, he must inform grand jury of its existence and give grand jury opportunity to order its production). In Crimmins, a kidnaping and assault case, the prosecutor not only failed to instruct the grand jury on applicable statutes and allowed a prosecution witness to testify in a misleading manner, but also ignored the defendant's request to present his side of the incident. We held that due process compels the prosecutor to make a fair and impartial presentation to the grand jury. Crimmins, 137 Ariz. at 41, 668 P.2d at 884. This requires the prosecutor to instruct the grand jury on all the law applicable to the facts of the case, even if the grand jury does not make any specific request for additional legal instruction. Id. at 42, 668 P.2d at 885. This court noted that [t]he grand jury is neither an arm nor a servant of the prosecution, and the prosecutor's discretion is to be used `in assisting the grand jury.' Id. at 43-44, 668 P.2d at 886-87 (quoting Gershon v. Broomfield, 131 Ariz. 507, 509, 642 P.2d 852, 854 (1982)). See Sigmund G. Popko, Arizona's County Grand Jury: The Empty Promise of Independence, 29 Ariz. L.Rev. 667, 681-83 (1987). [W]here the defendant has indicated his willingness to waive his right to remain silent and has volunteered to discuss the case with the prosecutor, one might assume there is a reasonable possibility that he would waive the fifth amendment and testify before the grand jury. The prosecution here failed to notify defense counsel that the case was going to the grand jury and also failed to notify the grand jury that the defendant might be willing to appear and testify. The prosecution thereby deprived the defendant of the right to make a written request of the grand jury to allow him to appear (see Ariz.R.Crim.P. 12.6) and deprived the grand jury of its right to determine whether the defendant's testimony might be other evidence, which is available, [and] will explain away the contemplated charge.... The rule, the statute, and the concept of an independent grand jury give the grand jury, not the prosecution, the right to make these determinations. Crimmins, 137 Ariz. at 44, 668 P.2d at 887. Thus, by failing to inform the grand jury of the defendant's willingness to come forward, a prosecutor may effectively control the outcome of a given proceeding, thereby usurping the grand jury's role and depriving a defendant of the due process right to an independent grand jury. Popko, supra, 29 Ariz. L.Rev. at 683. Although we realize there are arguably other means by which the defense can communicate information to the grand jury, such as by notifying the presiding judge, the only pragmatic, realistic conduit is the county attorneythe grand jury's assistant and advisor. See Gershon, 131 Ariz. at 510, 642 P.2d at 855 (The prosecutor's duty is to assist the grand jury in its investigations; the prosecutor may not exercise dominion over those investigations by evading the grand jury's will.). Nor is it odd, as Justice Martone's dissent describes it, to place this duty on the investigated person's adversary, the prosecutor. Dissent, infra, at 627, 944 P.2d at 1241. California, for example, has recognized such a duty. In Johnson v. Superior Court, the California Supreme Court found that under section 939.7 of the California Penal Code, which is similar to A.R.S. §§ 21-408 and 21-412, the prosecutor was obliged to inform the grand jury of the nature and existence of evidence reasonably tending to negate a defendant's guilt. The court reasoned that the grand jury cannot be expected to request evidence of which it is ignorant. The court stated: The People contend the proper construction of section 939.7 is that the impetus for the presentation of exculpatory evidence must originate in the grand jury, not the district attorney. However, unless so informed by the district attorney, the grand jury ordinarily has no reason to believe that other evidence within its reach will explain away the charge. ... The defendant's right to bring exculpatory evidence to the attention of the grand jury by letter is illusory unless he knows his case will be under consideration by them. Because the proceedings of the grand jury are held in secret without notice to the defendant, the construction of section 939.7 urged by the People would nullify its protective role. 15 Cal.3d 248, 124 Cal.Rptr. 32, 36, 539 P.2d 792, 796 (1975) (citations omitted). With regard to the prosecutor's adversarial role, the court noted that the adversary system does not extend to grand jury proceedings. As has been explained, if the district attorney does not bring exculpatory evidence to the attention of the grand jury, the jury is unlikely to learn of it. We hold, therefore, that when a district attorney seeking an indictment is aware of evidence reasonably tending to negate guilt, he is obligated under section 939.7 to inform the grand jury of its nature and existence, so that the grand jury may exercise its power under the statute to order the evidence produced. Id. The prosecutor, as an officer of the court as well as the lawyer for the state, is not just an adversary of the person under investigation. The interests of the prosecutor and the state are not limited to indictment but include serving the interests of justice; thus, the prosecutor's obligation to make a fair and impartial presentation to the jury has long been recognized. See Crimmins, 137 Ariz. at 41, 668 P.2d at 884; see also State v. Emery, 131 Ariz. 493, 506, 642 P.2d 838, 851 (1982). Our statutes and rules give the grand jury, not the prosecutor, the right and obligation to decide whether to hear a defendant or his exculpatory evidence. We therefore see nothing odd in requiring the prosecutor to tell the grand jury about possible exculpatory evidence. After all, if the exculpatory information had been provided by the police, the law requires that it be presented to the grand jury. Cf. Herrell v. Sargeant, 189 Ariz. 627, 944 P.2d 1241 (1997). Why should the rule be different when the prosecutor receives such information from a defendant? [2] Given the power of the prosecutor in the grand jury system, the statutory right of the grand jury to decide whether to hear evidence from the defendant, and the defendant's right to request appearance before the grand jury, we hold the county attorney must inform the grand jury that the defendant has requested to appear or has submitted exculpatory evidence. Without such a responsibility, A.R.S. § 21-412 and Rule 12.6 are rendered meaningless. The grand jury is, of course, free to either grant or deny the defendant's request, but this choice is for the grand jury and not for the county attorney. See State v. Just, 138 Ariz. 534, 540, 675 P.2d 1353, 1359 (App. 1983) (The purpose of [A.R.S. § 21-412] is obviously to give the grand jury the opportunity to hear the evidence it deems necessary to make its probable cause determination.). Turning now to the case at bar, we must decide whether the letter written by Trebus' lawyer was sufficient to trigger the county attorney's duty to inform the grand jury of Trebus' willingness to present exculpatory evidence or to testify.