Opinion ID: 1405581
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: Misconduct in the Fabrication Argument

Text: ¶ 58 Defendant cites many incidents of prosecutorial misconduct on the fabrication issue. Defendant failed to object to many of these incidents at trial. Failure to object waives an issue on appeal absent fundamental error. See State v. Gendron, 168 Ariz. 153, 154, 812 P.2d 626, 627 (1991). However, when counsel has made the court aware of his objection through a previous motion, failure to object at trial does not then waive the issue on appeal. See State v. Grannis, 183 Ariz. 52, 62, 900 P.2d 1, 11 (1995); State v. Lindsey, 149 Ariz. 472, 476, 720 P.2d 73, 77 (1986). Although counsel did not object every time the prosecutor made an improper fabrication assertion or insinuation, he did make frequent objection on that subject at trial, and in pre-trial proceedings. We conclude that the issue was fully preserved. ¶ 59 Counsel can argue all reasonable inferences from the evidence. See State v. Dumaine, 162 Ariz. 392, 401, 783 P.2d 1184, 1193 (1989). Counsel's questioning and argument, however, cannot make insinuations that are not supported by the evidence. See Cornell, 179 Ariz. at 331, 878 P.2d at 1369; State v. Williams, 111 Ariz. 511, 515, 533 P.2d 1146, 1150 (1975). It is improper for counsel to imply unethical conduct on the part of an expert witness without having evidence to support the accusation. See Bailey, 132 Ariz. at 479, 647 P.2d at 177. Jury argument that impugns the integrity or honesty of opposing counsel is also improper. See State v. Denny, 119 Ariz. 131, 134, 579 P.2d 1101, 1104 (1978); State v. Gonzales, 105 Ariz. 434, 436, 466 P.2d 388, 390 (1970). ¶ 60 In Cornell, the prosecutor insinuated during cross-examination that counsel taught defendant how to fake epilepsy. 179 Ariz. at 330-31, 878 P.2d at 1368-69. Because the record did not support the insinuation, the prosecutor had unfairly cast aspersions on advisory counsel's integrity. Id. at 331, 878 P.2d at 1369. The prosecutor was guilty of misconduct. See id. at 332, 878 P.2d at 1370. We did not reverse, however, because defendant failed to object, the misconduct was not fundamental error, and it did not undermine defendant's primary defense. See id. Here, however, Defendant objected, the prosecutor's misconduct was intended to undermine Defendant's primary defense, and it did so. ¶ 61 This record reveals a prosecutor with an overpowering prejudice against psychiatrists and psychologists, among others. He told the court, psychiatrists should be precluded entirely from testifying in criminal matters, and he repeatedly refused to retain a mental health expert for the State. The State has no obligation to retain a mental health expert in a case such as this, but the State has an obligation to be honest with the facts. The prosecutor's reason for not retaining a mental health expert in this case was obvious; doing so would impair his trial strategy of ignoring the facts he did not like, relying on prejudice, and arguing that all mental health experts are fools or frauds who say whatever they are paid to say. That is a dishonest way to represent the State in any case, and it was especially dishonest in this case, where the evidence of mental illness was overwhelming, where the evidence of insanity was substantial, and where the State had no evidence that defense counsel or expert witnesses had fabricated an insanity defense.