Court Opinion

ID: 9461502
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:16:04.884032+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:37:05.759023
License: Public Domain

HILL, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
I am compelled to respectfully dissent. My distinguished brothers have chosen to upset the conviction for what seems to me to be a trivial error in the trial of the case. Defense counsel in his jury argument invited the occurrence relied upon by the majority. He participated in both the preliminary hearing before the magistrate and the trial under review. On both occasions he heard evidence to the effect one of the witnesses had activated the camera inside the bank. No photographs from this camera were offered by the prosecution. Certainly the defense counsel knew the reason such evidence was not offered. It is undisputed that the camera malfunctioned. Under these circumstances defense counsel was clearly “out of bounds” when he referred to the camera and asked the jury to draw an inference favorable to his client. There is ample undisputed eye witness identification testimony in the record together with an *504admission from the defendant that he was in the vicinity of the bank that was robbed about the same time as the robbery took place. In this setting the prosecutor should be permitted to set the record straight. Even better procedure would have been for the trial judge to advise the jury as to the true facts. In any event I fail to find any error prejudicial to the defendant justifying a new trial. This court has many times reiterated that a criminal defendant is entitled to a fair trial which does not necessarily mean a perfect trial. Viewing all of the evidence I must conclude appellant had a fair trial.