Opinion ID: 792192
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Derogatory Remarks and Arguments Based on Bad Character

Text: 81 Hodge also asserts that his attorney erred in failing to object to the several derogatory comments made by the prosecution during closing argument. At least three of these are clearly improper: 82 [Hodge] certainly could pass for a 23-year-old. I wonder how many he's had to drink, in this period of emancipation, as an adult. 83 Unfortunately, [Hodge's] idea of supporting himself is getting my share of supplemental income or [a] share of my family's Social Security Supplemental [I]ncome. 84 [H]ow would you like to put yourself in the place of someone that might run into [Hodge] at night? 85 See J.A. at 160, 180-81 (closing argument by prosecution). Again without citing, quoting, or even discussing these statements, the state court made a finding that no ineffective assistance occurred, this time apparently relying on the prejudice prong of the Strickland inquiry. 24 86 These statements are highly improper. First, the prosecutor's insinuation that Hodge regularly drank alcohol illegally by passing himself off as being over twenty-one years of age — a claim that in no way relates to the crime charged — is improper both as an inappropriate emphasis on Hodge's alleged bad character, Washington v. Hofbauer, 228 F.3d 689, 699 (6th Cir.2000), and as an argument based on facts not in evidence. Berger, 295 U.S. at 86-89, 55 S.Ct. 629; Abela v. Martin, 380 F.3d 915, 929 (6th Cir.2004); Smith, 470 N.E.2d at 885. Second, the prosecutor's suggestion that Hodge's idea of supporting himself was to get part of the prosecutor's or the prosecutor's family's Social Security income is similarly flawed. Third, the prosecutor's suggestion that the jury try to put [itself] in the place of someone that might run into [Hodge] at night is a version of the impermissible golden rule argument. See, e.g., City of Cleveland v. Egeland, 26 Ohio App.3d 83, 497 N.E.2d 1383, 1389 (1986) (The prosecutor cannot properly threaten the jury that an acquittal would jeopardize them personally. Such arguments ask the jurors to shed their objectivity and to assume the role of interested parties.) (citations omitted); cf. Boop v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 118 Ohio App. 171, 193 N.E.2d 714, 716 (Ohio Ct.App.1963) (This type of argument, where the jurors are asked to put themselves in the place of plaintiff, is commonly known as the `Golden Rule Argument' and, upon objection being made, is normally considered objectionable and incompetent for the reason that it constitutes an appeal to the jury to abandon their position of impartiality and to exercise their discretion in the guise of an interested party.). 87 The dissent agrees with our conclusion that these statements were improper, but disagrees with our ultimate conclusion that the state court applied Strickland unreasonably. We emphasize that the each instance of prosecutorial misconduct — and each failure to object thereto — must not be considered in isolation, but in the context of the prosecution's entire opening statement and closing argument, which repeatedly suggested that the jury could consider, as evidence of guilt, whether Hodge was the type of person who would attempt to rape a young child. For example, the prosecutor concluded his opening statement with a promise to prove not that Hodge committed this particular act, but that Hodge was one of those people who needed to have sex with children. See J.A. at 148 (opening statement by prosecution). This formulation does not appear to have been accidental, as the prosecutor repeated it at the conclusion of the initial portion of his closing argument. See J.A. at 160 (closing argument by prosecution). The conclusion of the prosecution's rebuttal closing argument continued this theme, but in a more prejudicial and even more inaccurate way: 88 It's just like the doctor says, All of the pieces to the puzzle fit. By themselves none of them mean anything, the medical findings by themselves mean nothing, the eyewitness account means nothing, the battering by itself means nothing. But if you lump all of these things together and — his past behavior and conduct at the jail mean nothing, but if you put it all together, it proves the State's case beyond a reasonable doubt. And if you piecemeal it like Dr. Steiner would like you to do, or discount parts of it, the State can't make its case. But if you logically, as your duty requires, consider everything and dig in and look as you promised, you're going to know he's guilty. 89 Because if he was mild-mannered, he wouldn't have that problem at the jail. If he was mild-mannered, he wouldn't have been kicked out of school. If he wasn't domineering, she would have left him. If he didn't own her, he would not have tried something as ridiculous as this at home while she was in the bathtub. But he is so used to controlling the people around him for his whole life, he can do anything he wants. 90 So he thought. Until today. 91 J.A. at 189-90 (final closing argument by prosecution) (emphasis added). This statement incorrectly suggested the jury should consider several factors — the medical findings, Fenn's eyewitness account (and Hodge's testimony to the contrary), the allegations of domestic violence, Hodge's disciplinary record at the jail, and Hodge's past behavior more generally — as each insufficient individually to justify a guilty verdict, but collectively sufficient to require one. In other words, even if the jury did not believe, beyond a reasonable doubt, Fenn's statement that she saw the rape, the prosecution argued that Hodge's bad character should tip the scale. 92 This fundamentally misstates the nature of the finding the jury had to make. The jury had to make only one real decision: whether Fenn was being truthful (and accurate) when she stated that she saw Hodge penetrate Jane. As the medical evidence (excluding that obtained from accepting allegations in the police reports and the bill of particulars as true) was not sufficient to support a finding that sexual contact had occurred, all other testimony presented in the case went only to support or rebut the testimony of Fenn and Hodge. To suggest that the eyewitness account mean[s] nothing, J.A. at 189 (closing argument by prosecution), but can somehow be converted to proof beyond a reasonable doubt by lump[ing] it together with nonspecific medical findings, abusive conduct, past behavior ( none of which even remotely suggested sexual misconduct or pedophiliac tendencies), and jail misconduct severely misrepresents the type of factual determination the jury is required to make. Taken as a whole, the statement improperly suggested that the jury could consider Hodge's bad character as a thumb on the scale in favor of a finding of guilt.