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731 So. 2d 94

Docket No. 98-1507.

Gutierrez v. State

Luis GUTIERREZ, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.

District Court of Appeal of Florida · decided 1999-04-14

Cited by 12 later decisions — most recently January 2019

12 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“While an improper comment on a defendant's right to remain silent may be constitutional error, it is not considered fundamental error.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including JOHN URBANIAK v. STATE OF FLORIDA

Relies on 491 So. 2d 1129 - State v. DiGuilio · Clark v. State · 722 So. 2d 177 - Donaldson v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1999-04-14

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1*95 Michael D. Gelety, Fort Lauderdale, for appellant.

¶2Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Douglas Gurnic, Assistant Attorney General, Fort Lauderdale, for appellee.

¶3SHAHOOD, J.

¶4We affirm appellant's conviction of trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Appellant raises several issues in his appeal, all of which we find to be without merit. We write, however, to discuss appellant's first issue, which concerns comments made by the prosecutor during cross-examination and closing argument regarding appellant's right to remain silent.

¶5Appellant claims that during his cross-examination and in closing argument, improper comments were made by the prosecutor on his right to remain silent. While the prosecutor's remarks during closing argument were "fairly susceptible" of being interpreted by the jury as a comment on appellant's right to remain silent, such remarks were unpreserved. See, e.g., Dean v. State,690 So.2d 720, 724 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997)(noting that "any remark which is `fairly susceptible' of being interpreted as a comment on silence creates a `high risk' of error") (citations omitted).

¶6In order to preserve an allegedly improper prosecutorial comment for review, a defendant must object to the comment and move for a mistrial. See Allen v. State,662 So.2d 323, 328 (Fla.1995). While a motion for mistrial may be made as late as the end of closing argument, a timely objection must be made in order to allow a curative instruction or admonishment to counsel. See Nixon v. State,572 So.2d 1336, 1340-41 (Fla.1990). Absent fundamental error, this issue must be affirmed. See Weiand v. State,701 So.2d 562, 565 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997), quashed on other grounds, 24 Fla.L. Weekly S124, 732 So.2d 1044 (Fla.1999). While an improper comment on a defendant's right to remain silent may be constitutional error, it is not considered fundamental error. See State v. Marshall,476 So.2d 150, 153 (Fla.1985)(citing Clark v. State,363 So.2d 331 (Fla.1978), receded from in part on other grounds, State v. DiGuilio,491 So.2d 1129 (Fla.1986)).

¶7Since appellant failed to object to the remarks at trial and since an improper comment on a defendant's right to remain silent is not fundamental error which may be raised on appeal without an objection at trial, any errors were not preserved for appeal. See Clark,363 So.2d at 333-34; Murphy v. International Robotics Sys., Inc.,710 So.2d 587, 590 (Fla. 4th DCA), review granted,722 So.2d 193 (Fla.1998).

¶8AFFIRMED.

¶9DELL and GROSS, JJ., concur.

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