PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT WARRANTED A NEW TRIAL IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE WITHOUT ANY NEED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF THE ERRORS ON THE CONVICTION.

The Fourth Department reversed defendant’s conviction because of the prosecutor’s misconduct:

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During jury selection, the prosecutor improperly inquired if defendant “look[ed] like an arsonist” because she was dressed in red-colored clothing. During cross-examination, the prosecutor improperly questioned defendant on her inability to make bail, thus indicating that defendant was incarcerated … , and improperly questioned defendant about the conviction of her codefendant husband of the same crime … . The prosecutor also improperly questioned defendant concerning the criminal history of her husband … During summation, the prosecutor commented on the failure of defendant’s husband to testify regarding her financial condition, again implying that her husband had been convicted of the same crime and was incarcerated … . Although County Court sustained many of defense counsel’s objections and gave curative instructions, we cannot conclude on this record that any resulting prejudice was alleviated… .Moreover, even when a trial court repeatedly sustains a defendant’s objections and instructs the jury to disregard certain remarks by the prosecutor, “[a]fter a certain point, . . . the cumulative effect of a prosecutor’s improper comments . . . may overwhelm a defendant’s right to a fair trial”… , and that is the case here. We therefore “must reverse the conviction and grant a new trial, . . . without regard to any evaluation as to whether the errors contributed to . . . defendant’s conviction. The right to a fair trial is self-standing and proof of guilt, however overwhelming, can never be permitted to negate this right”  … . People v Hayward-Crawford, 2017 NY Slip Op 04581, 4th Dept 6-9-17

CRIMINAL LAW (ATTORNEYS, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT WARRANTED A NEW TRIAL IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE WITHOUT ANY EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE ERRORS ON THE CONVICTION)/ATTORNEYS (CRIMINAL LAW. PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT WARRANTED A NEW TRIAL IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE WITHOUT ANY EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE ERRORS ON THE CONVICTION)/PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT (PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT WARRANTED A NEW TRIAL IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE WITHOUT ANY EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE ERRORS ON THE CONVICTION)