Court Opinion

ID: 9728751
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 14:15:47.023518+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:51.689309
License: Public Domain

VAN der VOORT, Judge,
concurring and dissenting:
Although I agree that the reference to appellant’s refusal to sign a waiver of rights form was potentially prejudicial, I believe that the prejudice would have come from the jury’s inference that appellant had been uncooperative with the police, and I believe that the trial court’s cautionary instruction was sufficient to negate any such prejudice. The offending statement of the witness was: “We explained what we had on the case to him and advised him of his rights and gave him a waiver or rights which he refused to sign.” (Emphasis added). The jury would not necessarily have inferred from this statement that appellant had refused to talk to the police, or that one of the rights which the police wanted appellant to waive in writing was the right to remain silent.
I disagree with the majority opinion in that I would not characterize defense counsel’s conduct as “reckless”. Counsel’s question was: “Did you tell him [appellant] any information relating to the nature of the incident ?” (Emphasis added). The volunteered information that appellant refused to sign a waiver of rights form was an unlikely response to an inquiry concerning what the police told appellant about the nature of the crime. I believe that counsel was not reckless in asking that particular question or in failing to anticipate the response.