Court Opinion

ID: 9689250
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:26:25.5218+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:46.471863
License: Public Domain

Michael J. Kelly, P.J.
(dissenting). I would affirm defendant’s convictions. I do not believe *320that any prejudicial effect caused by the assistant prosecutor’s comments was so great that it could not have been cured by a proper instruction or that failure to review these alleged errors would result in a miscarriage of justice. Accordingly, since defense counsel failed to object at trial, review of these alleged errors should be waived. People v Duncan, 402 Mich 1, 15-17; 260 NW2d 58 (1977); People v Federico, 146 Mich App 776; 381 NW2d 819 (1985), lv den 425 Mich 867 (1986).
The prosecutor’s objections during defense counsel’s direct examination of defendant and the prosecutor’s cross-examination of defendant do not strike me as so prejudicial as to result in manifest injustice. These comments were merely part of the normal give and take of a criminal jury trial; any impropriety which occurred would have been easily cured by an appropriate instruction upon defense counsel’s objection.
Nor were the prosecutor’s closing comments regarding defendant’s lack of credibility improper. A prosecutor may properly argue that a criminal defendant is not worthy of belief based upon the facts and evidence of the case. People v Walker, 167 Mich App 377, 386; 422 NW2d 8 (1988). That is what the prosecutor did here.
With regard to the prosecutor’s misexplanation of the reasonable doubt standard, I believe that a careful examination of the prosecution’s statement indicates that she merely misspoke and, instead, meant to say that she was not required to prove defendant guilty beyond all doubt or beyond a shadow of a doubt. Such a statement would not have been improper, and would not shift the burden of proof to defendant. See CJI 1:2:23; 1:2:24. In view of the fact that the trial court would later *321instruct the jury regarding the reasonable doubt standard, I do not believe that this one slip of the tongue resulted in manifest injustice.
I would affirm.