Court Opinion

ID: 9703531
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:59:44.509561+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:49.990252
License: Public Domain

Billings, J.,
dissenting. The prosecutor’s intentional opening statement drawing attention to the fact that the defendant had shared a cell with an expected witness clearly raised in. the jury’s mind an inference of bad character or criminal tendencies. State v. Rebideau, 132 Vt. 445, 449, 321 A.2d 58, 61 (1974). The introduction of this information was improper, because through it defendant’s criminal character was injected into the case. State v. Shuttle, 126 Vt. 379, 381-82, 230 A.2d 794, 796-97 (1967); State v. Garceau, 122 Vt. 303, 170 A.2d 623 (1961).
As the majority opinion points out, the defendant’s claim of prejudice was preserved by defendant’s motion for mistrial. True, the defendant has the burden to show prejudice, State v. Rebideau, supra, 132 Vt. at 449, 321 A.2d at 60, but prejudice is determined from the facts of each case and is to be considered within the context of the entire proceedings. A motion for mistrial is addressed to the trial court’s discretion, and the denial of the motion will be held erroneous only if prejudice affirmatively appears. State v. Berard, 132 Vt. 138, 143, 315 A.2d 501, 506 (1974).
*604In my view the defendant’s right to a fair and impartial trial was completely denied. In light of all the circumstances of the case the trial court clearly abused its discretion in denying a mistrial. This is especially true since the record indicates that the information of incarceration came before the jury not only in the prosecutor’s opening statement, but also from the witness himself, whom the defendant was not allowed to cross-examine. The information originally injected was highlighted by the testimony of the witness and the instruction issued after the witness refused to testify further. Although the defendant’s counsel failed to properly preserve the trial court’s erroneous cautionary charge, the court was sufficiently on notice of the claimed prejudice. State v. Woodard, 134 Vt. 154, 156, 353 A.2d 321, 323-24 (1976) ; V.R.Cr.P. 51. In my view, after the witness refused further testimony the trial court at least had a duty to strike the testimony of the witness and to properly instruct the jury, if not declare a mistrial.
The voluntary injecting of the inference of criminal character and the trial court’s failure to cure the same through its charge so colored the entire trial that the defendant’s right to a fair and impartial trial was violated. This violation is not addressed and cured by the majority’s view that the trial court did not abuse its discretion. The conviction here should be reversed and the cause remanded for new trial.