Court Opinion

ID: 9649246
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:46:26.497632+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:00:43.336116
License: Public Domain

KAUFFMAN, Justice,
dissenting.
Although the defendant has no obligation to establish his previous good reputation, when he chooses to open up the question of his character, the prosecutor may fairly comment upon the evidence offered. Here, defendant introduced only one character witness, a family friend. By noting the witness’s bias and by adverting to the weakness of the evidence presented in light of the testimony not offered, the prosecutor’s closing argument properly challenged the adequacy of defendant’s attempt to establish his good reputation. Since I do not find the prosecutor’s closing argument to have constituted prosecutorial misconduct, I would affirm the Judgments of Sentence.
LARSEN, J., joins in this dissenting opinion.