Court Opinion

ID: 9596255
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:47:36.96621+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:34.169645
License: Public Domain

Nichols, Justice,
dissenting. I dissent from the holding in Division 4 of the majority opinion as well as from the judgment of reversal.
While the majority opinion cites cases which correctly hold that upon objection by the solicitor general the defendant may be precluded from exhibiting physical evidence to the jury in corroboration of his unsworn statement, yet the law does not place the burden upon the solicitor general to warn, by objection, the defendant that he is in danger of losing, by such conduct, the right of having the opening and concluding argument where he has not introduced any other evidence during the trial of. the case.
The transcript of the evidence in the present case discloses that the defendant used the language “this here” in his unsworn statement to the jury which shows without dispute that he was exhibiting documents to the jury to corroborate his unsworn statement. Such conduct was tantamount to introducing such documents into evidence and accordingly the trial court did not err in so holding and in giving to the State the right to open and conclude the argument to the jury.
I am authorized to state that Chief Justice Duckworth and Justice Undercofler concur in this dissent.