Court Opinion

ID: 9762177
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:14:47.519494+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:31.463945
License: Public Domain

SEILER, Judge
(concurring in result).
I concur in the result because I recognize that under prior decisions of the court the argument made by the prosecutor will not be regarded as a prohibited comment on defendant’s right not to testify.
However, I am unable to agree with the reasoning that if a defendant is innocent he should be able to produce third parties as witnesses to explain away incriminating evidence. The inference seems to be that if he does not produce witnesses he is not innocent. This would reverse the presumption of innocence.
Not only that, it could easily happen that an innocent person could not produce any witnesses. Not every one is fortunate enough to have everything he needs to establish his innocence take place before known or ascertainable witnesses.