Opinion ID: 1119440
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 18

Heading: Duty to society at large.

Text: During the penalty phase closing argument, the prosecutor commented: What message does this punishment send today? Will we tell would[-]be murders, will we tell this community, that you can kill a man, thrust a knife into his skull 16 times, one time through his skull, 16 times into his body, that you can perpetrate unspeakable, despicable deeds upon his wife in her own car and that you, the husband, can drive upon that crime scene and witness your wife bleeding to death, struggling for your life, what message does it send to say the man that perpetrates those crimes can live his life in prison, can write his family, see his family, speak to his family? Witter argues that these statements amount to an improper plea to a duty to society at large. See Haberstroh v. State, 105 Nev. 739, 782 P.2d 1343 (1989) (prosecutor committed misconduct by referring to the jury as the conscience of the community); Collier, 101 Nev. 473, 705 P.2d 1126; Flanagan v. State, 104 Nev. 105, 754 P.2d 836 (1988), vacated on other grounds sub nom., Flanagan v. Nevada, 503 U.S. 931, 112 S.Ct. 1464, 117 L.Ed.2d 610 (1992) (prosecutor's remark, [i]f we don't punish, then society is going to laugh at us found to be improper). We disagree. We conclude that these statements properly focus on what would be an appropriate punishment under the facts and circumstances of this case, as well as what would be necessary to deter others from committing such a brutal act. These are entirely proper areas for comment. Accordingly, we conclude that these statements did not constitute an improper plea to a duty to society at large.