Opinion ID: 852583
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Was the Belt Readily Visible?

Text: Whether the belt was readily visible is critical to this branch of the inquiry. Roche, 291 F.3d at 483 (quoting Fountain, 211 F.3d at 435). Some courts have used the term visible to make the point that shackles or jail garb must be perceived by the jury. See, e.g., id.; Deck, 544 U.S. at 631-32, 125 S.Ct. 2007. The broader notion is that it is prejudicial for jurors to be aware that a defendant is being restrained or appearing in jail garb. Fountain, 211 F.3d at 435. We see little significance to whether the jurors learned of the belt by seeing the restraint or by being informed of it. In either case the defendant is branded a dangerous individual. The post-conviction court made no specific finding as to the jurors' awareness of the belt. However, the post-conviction record demonstrates that several jurors knew that Stephenson wore the belt during trial and recognized it for what it was. According to one juror's affidavit: During the trial, I became aware that John Stephenson was wearing a stun belt. I could see he had what appeared to be a rectangle shaped box attached to his lower back, underneath his shirt. I had seen a television show sometime previously to being selected for this jury that described what a stun belt was and what its purpose was. I have been hit by 220 volts and know what effect that amount of power has on a person. I believed the stun belt was to control John Stephenson's behavior. Some apparently learned of the restraint from other jurors. A second juror stated in her affidavit: I was aware that John Stephenson was wearing a device that would prevent him from running out of the courtroom. During the trial one of the male jurors mentioned to me that Mr. Stephenson was wearing this device. I was aware that he was wearing something that controlled his behavior. Similarly, a third juror affirmed, During the trial, I recall that Mr. Stephenson had some type of restraining device on him. I do not recall what the device looked like, or when or where I realized he [was] wearing one. A fourth juror was asked in deposition by Petitioner's counsel, Did you know that John Stephenson had worn a stun belt through his trial? The juror responded: I would say, yes, that I did because he wasn't handcuffed, and naturally I assumed that he had that on because there was like a, you know, he wore like a loose shirt, basically like what you have on, loose, and there was a bulge back there in the back, so that's how I knew that. It was not clear that all jurors were aware of the belt. One testified in deposition offered in post-conviction proceeding: Q: Were you aware that John Stephenson was wearing a stun belt? Do you know what I mean by that, first of all? A: I was aware of that, and I'm not sure at what time, you know, what point I was aware of that. Q: But you know what I mean  A: Yes. Q:  by a stun belt? A: Yes, I do. Q: Okay, so go ahead if you hadn't finished your answer. A: Well, I'm not really sure exactly if it was after the trial that, that I heard about that or  I'm thinking it was afterwards, but I'm not really sure. Q: Did you notice it when you  A: No. Q:  walked by, walked past from the rear? A: No, I never did notice it. Even if at least one juror did not observe or recall the belt, on this record we think Stephenson has established by a preponderance of the evidence that the belt was readily visible to the jury.