Court Opinion

ID: 9609898
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:32:58.334649+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:53.271629
License: Public Domain

Hill, Justice,
dissenting.
I am unable to agree with Divisions 4 and 5 of the majority opinion. Clearly, defense trial counsel violated *28the prohibition of Code Ann. § 27-2206, which is applicable equally to the defense as to the prosecution.
Conceding that defense counsel’s argument was "inept tactical judgment,” the state points out that there was no motion for mistrial. However, this is a death case. The sentence of death by the jury should be imposed free from passion, prejudice or other arbitrary factor. Code Ann. § 27-2537 (c) (1). This matter is reviewable notwithstanding the absence of a motion for mistrial. Prevatte v. State, 233 Ga. 929 (6) (214 SE2d 365).
In my view this argument to the jury by defense counsel that the defendant should be given a life sentence under which he would stay in jail at least seven years should be considered "shocking to the conscience of the reviewing court.” See Hart v. State, 227 Ga. 171 (10) (179 SE2d 346). In my view, it was the duty of the trial court to observe this lack of competent representation and to correct it, by declaring defense trial counsel incompetent and on that basis declaring a mistrial as to sentencing.
The state has argued that this result would place it within the power of the defense counsel to secure a mistrial, and has contended that such a decision would encourage calculated ineffectiveness of counsel. Basing this decision not upon Code Ann. § 27-2206 but upon incompetence of counsel in light of that Code section, I would not foresee many attorneys intentionally causing mistrials by this means. If such intentional incompetence became a problem, the trial courts could hold such attorneys in contempt pursuant to Code Ann. § 24-3319.
In my view, a new trial on the issue of punishment should be granted for the reasons stated above. I therefore dissent.
Appendix
Similar cases considered by the court; Lingo v. State, 226 Ga. 496 (175 SE2d 657); Johnson v. State, 226 Ga. 511 (175 SE2d 840); Pass v. State, 227 Ga. 730 (182 SE2d 779); Callahan v. State, 229 Ga. 737 (194 SE2d 431); Whitlock v. State, 230 Ga. 700 (198 SE2d 865); Kramer v. State, 230 Ga. 855 (199 SE2d 805); Bennett v. State, 231 Ga. 458 (202 SE2d 99); Howard v. State, 231 Ga. 186 (200 SE2d 755); Hunter v. State, 231 Ga. 494 (202 SE2d 441); Morgan v. *29State, 231 Ga. 280 (201 SE2d 468); House v. State, 232 Ga. 140 (205 SE2d 217); Morgan v. State, 233 Ga. 360 (211 SE2d 285); Gregg v. State, 233 Ga. 117 (210 SE2d 659); Floyd v. State, 233 Ga. 280 (210 SE2d 810); Moore v. State, 233 Ga. 861 (213 SE2d 829); Mitchell v. State, 234 Ga. 160 (214 SE2d 900).