Court Opinion

ID: 9788534
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 00:55:55.945901+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:12.019733
License: Public Domain

Larson, J.,
dissenting: I respectfully dissent from the decision and result reached by the majority for the following reasons:
1. The jurors were empaneled with their names known. The trial court’s later designation of them by numbers did not result in their becoming an anonymous jury. For an example of a true anonymous jury, see United States v. Peoples, 250 F.3d 630, 635-36 (8th Cir. 2001), where names and addresses of the venire panel were known but the panel members were initially identified by numbers rather than by names. The majority’s reliance on cases and articles relating to anonymous juries is not applicable to our facts and should not have been a part of its decision process.
2. The majority opinion does not make a direct finding of judicial misconduct, but the result reached is based in part on the trial judge’s “safety and security” comments and his failure to make a precautionary statement to the jury that the use of numbers rather than names should in no way be interpreted as a reflection of the defendant’s guilt or innocence. I do not consider the trial court’s comments or action to have the effect of judicial misconduct. The majority suggestion that a neutral comment for the numbering should have been given might have required an explanation which, in fact, would not have been the actual reason for the action taken. I would not endorse such a requirement, although I agree that it *81would have been a better practice to give the majority’s suggested cautionary instruction. However, the failure to do so should not require reversal of the convictions and the ordering of a new trial.
There was no request for any instruction by the defendant. While this is not a jury instruction issue, the defendant’s failure to make such a request must be viewed negatively to his arguments on appeal. In addition, there was no request for a mistrial and the trial judge’s “safety and security” statement was not an issue in the motion for a new trial.
3. The fear which was interjected into the trial was contributed to or caused by the defendant or those acting on his behalf. To now complain about fear at the trial when it was introduced or caused by the defendant is similar in effect to the invited error rule that a litigant may not invite and lead a trial court into error and then complain of the trial court’s actions on appeal. See State v. Hebert, 277 Kan. 61, 78, 82 P.3d 470 (2004).
The prosecution’s acknowledgment of fear was necessary, as it explained changes in the testimonies of numerous witnesses. The conflict in Paula Wilson’s testimony from that at the preliminary hearing was an issue to be resolved by the jury. This court has previously allowed threat testimony as being similar to incriminating circumstances of attempts to conceal or destroy evidence. See State v. Thomas, 252 Kan. 564, 579, 847 P.2d 1219 (1993); State v. Williams, 196 Kan. 628, 633, 413 P.2d 1006 (1966). There was an aura of fear in this trial, but it was properly controlled by the court’s rulings. The jury was adequately instructed. The jury resolved the conflict in the testimony. As we said in State v. Moore, 269 Kan. 27, 30, 4 P.3d 1141 (2000): “The function of weighing the evidence and passing on credibility of witnesses belongs to the jury, not to the appellate- court.”
4. The wife of the victim observed the killing of her husband. She knew the shooter as the brother of her husband’s drug dealer. Her explanation of earlier reluctance to identify the killer was plausible, but, again, this was an issue for the jury to resolve. There were numerous conflicts in testimony and earlier statements, but viewed in its entirety, the evidence of guilt of felony murder was overwhelming.
*82In making certain trial court actions reviewable on appeal despite the absence of contemporaneous objections, we have eroded the necessity of making precise, specific objections or motions at trial and deprived the trial court of the opportunity to correct errors during the trial and posttrial phases of the proceedings below.
I respectfully dissent from the majority’s requirement of the convictions being reversed, the sentence being vacated, and a new trial being ordered.
I would further hold that the defendant’s remaining arguments on appeal do not require reversal of the results below.
The trial court did not err in allowing the State to question witness Bennie Freeman concerning an incident between Freeman and the defendant that occurred in jail prior to Freeman’s testimony. This is an issue to be viewed under an abuse of discretion standard relating to the admission of evidence once relevance was clearly shown. We have recently clarified our standard of review in State v. Elnicki, 279 Kan. 47, 51, 105 P.3d 1222 (2005), and State v. Carter, 278 Kan. 74, 77, 91 P.3d 1162 (2004). In Carter, we said:
“An. appellate court’s first consideration when examining a challenge to a district court’s admission of evidence is relevance. Once relevance is established, evidentiary rules governing admission and exclusion may be applied either as a matter of law or in the exercise of the district judge’s discretion, depending on the contours of the rule in question.” 278 Kan. 74, Syl. ¶ 1.
At the conclusion of the noon recess on the third day of trial, the State notified the court about alleged threats that had occurred at the jail during the recess and moved to allow certain testimony regarding the occurrence. Outside the presence of the jury, the State offered the testimony of a law enforcement officer to the effect that when the defendant became aware of Freeman’s presence, he became irate and called him a “rat bastard” and a “snitch.”
The trial court ruled that it would allow the testimony depending on what Freeman actually had to say. Over the defendant’s objection, Freeman testified that when the defendant saw him earlier in the day, the defendant became visibly upset and called him names like “police mother fucker” and “snitch mother fucker.” Freeman testified that although the defendant appeared angry, he *83did not feel threatened. No other mention was made of the incident on cross-examination or on redirect examination. The trial judge then admonished the jury to disregard Freeman’s testimony at the jail, saying, “After hearing the testimony, I’m not so sure what that has to do with anything that happened on November 9th, snitch, blankety blank and police blankety blank, so I want you to go ahead and disregard that and put that out of your mind, all right?”
Outside the presence of the jury, the trial judge explained, “I would have admonished the jury immediately, but I didn’t want to call any more attention to it than was necessary, so — they seemed to agree with me also.” Defense counsel said, “Sure,” which appeared to show concurrence.
When the defendant raised this issue in his posttrial motion for a new trial, the court denied the motion but did acknowledge that with hindsight, the evidence should not have been admitted. However, the mention of the incident was brief, and the court admonished the juiy to disregard it. The court also stated that based upon the jurors’ facial expressions during the court’s admonishment, they agreed the evidence was irrelevant.
At trial, the defendant argued the evidence of the jail incident was inadmissible because it was irrelevant and highly prejudicial. He makes the same argument on appeal, contending that evidence of the incident was not relevant to the issue of whether he committed the murder and was unfairly prejudicial in that it encouraged the jury to fear him and consider him a dangerous, threatening person.
The evidence was initially admitted because it related to the witness’ state of mind and motivation, but when the witness said he did not feel threatened, the court concluded the incident had lost its relevance. Thus, the court admonished the jury to disregard the incident.
The general rule is that an admonition to the jury normally cures the prejudice from an improper admission of evidence. State v. Gleason, 277 Kan. 624, 642, 88 P.3d 218 (2004). Gleason further teaches us, citing State v. Foster, 259 Kan. 198, 211, 910 P.2d 848 (1996), that reversal is not required in such an instance unless the *84remarks are so prejudicial as to be incurable. Gleason, 277 Kan. at 642. Such is not the case here. This was a very small portion of a 3-day trial, and the defendant has failed to sustain his burden that the trial court did not correctly admonish the jury to disregard this testimony.
The defendant makes a cumulative error argument, contending that even though the errors argued may be deemed harmless individually, they require reversal when viewed together. The State responds by contending no errors existed but alleges that if there were, the evidence was so overwhelming that the defendant did not sustain prejudice. The defendant does not address the weight of tire evidence against him. .- '
As has been previously stated, there was overwhelming evidence of guilt, the trial court’s initial remarks concerning safety were not erroneous, and the trial court admonished the jury to disregard the yelling at the jail. Reversal is not required under a cumulative error analysis.
Finally, the defendant argues the rule of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 147 L. Ed. 2d 435, 120 S. Ct. 2348 (2000), was violated by sentencing him based on a criminal history score which included convictions that were not proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendant’s issue was decided against him in State v. Ivory, 273 Kan. 44, 46-48, 41 P.3d 781 (2002), which he argues was wrongly decided.
As recent as State v. Manbeck, 277 Kan. 224, 229-30, 83 P.3d 190 (2004), we declined to reverse Ivory, and we decline to do so here.
The defendant’s convictions and sentence should be affirmed.
Nuss, J., joins in the forgoing dissent.