SEVERSON, Justice.
[¶ 1.] A jury convicted Cleve Robert Janis, Jr. of third-degree rape (victim incapable of giving consent due to intoxication) on January 14, 2015. Janis appeals his conviction, arguing that the circuit court erred when it admitted undisclosed expert testimony. Janis also argues that the prosecutor committed misconduct through various statements during trial and that there was improper contact between a juror and a spectator. We affirm.
[¶ 2.] The jury in this case heard evidence that Janis married Jamie Moreno on August 23, 2013, in Hot Springs, South Dakota. J.E., the victim in this case, was Moreno's maid of honor. After the ceremony, J.E. consumed a large number of alcoholic drinks at the reception. At approximately 1:00 a.m., J.E. received a ride to the home of Janis and Moreno, where
[¶ 3.] About an hour after J.E. left the reception, Janis and Moreno returned to their home. Janis was intoxicated. Wedding guests stated that Janis had consumed a large number of alcohol drinks at the reception. When Janis and Moreno arrived, J.E. was already asleep in the spare bedroom. Janis continued to drink champagne. At some point, he wanted a cigarette and left his bedroom.
[¶ 4.] J.E. was awakened by someone lying in bed behind her, placing his penis into her anus. She did not know who the person was, asked "who is this?" and followed the question by repeating the words "stop" and "no." J.E. remembered being somewhat awake, but testified that she was "frozen" during the assault. She recalled passing out again sometime later.
[¶ 5.] In the morning, J.E. awoke to find Janis in her room, clothed only in his boxers. When he attempted to have sex with her, J.E. rejected his advance and asked him if he knew who had sex with her the night before. He told her that he thought there had been a tall stranger in the house, and that it may have been him. However, Janis did admit to the authorities early in the investigation that he had sex with J.E., but alleged that it was consensual.
[¶ 6.] Shortly after Janis left her room, J.E. met Moreno in the bathroom and told Moreno what she could remember from the previous night, including the fact that she did not know who had sex with her. Moreno suggested that J.E. report a rape to the authorities and go to the hospital. J.E. testified that she was scared and just wanted to leave town to make it to her new job on time, so she left Hot Springs that morning without going to the police or hospital. However, J.E.'s mother stopped at J.E.'s work later that day and convinced her to report a rape, and J.E. agreed to go to the hospital after work, where a sexual assault examination was performed. J.E. reported the incident to the police five days later.
[¶ 7.] On December 10, 2013, Janis was charged with third-degree rape. A jury trial was held on January 13 and 14, 2015. The prosecutor at trial was the State's Attorney for Fall River County. Janis's appellate counsel is a different attorney than his trial counsel. Janis's theory at trial was that the sex was consensual. However, the prosecution's theme — beginning with voir dire and culminating in the State's closing argument — focused on broken marriage vows and character. In voir dire, the prosecutor questioned the potential jurors about wedding vows and how keeping those vows relate to a person's character. This theme of honoring wedding vows recurred throughout the entire trial. He told the jurors, "And when you think of this case, think about those vows and what those vows mean. And those vows are only as good as the character of the person taking those vows."
[¶ 8.] The prosecutor repeatedly referred to the importance of vows during his cross-examination of Janis and in closing arguments. He began closing argument by stating, "[M]aybe this is what the case is all about, maybe the case is all about those vows are only as strong as the person's character that took those vows. Maybe that's what this case is about." Later in closing he continued, "And this goes to character. This goes to the character of the person that took the vows, and that is essentially what I'm asking you to judge is, I'm asking you to judge Cleve Janis and his character when he took those
[¶ 9.] The prosecution's first witness on the second day of trial was J.E. During cross-examination, the defense asked her why she waited to report the crime and whether or not she was truly "frozen" during the incident. After J.E.'s testimony, the prosecutor called Karen Murphy, the Certified Nurse Practitioner that supervised J.E.'s sexual assault examination. The prosecutor sought her opinion regarding J.E.'s claim that she was "frozen" during the assault. The prosecutor first asked, "Now, in your training in dealing with rape victims, we've had testimony about freezing, frozen, can't move. Is that a normal response when being raped?" The defense objected to this question for lack of foundation, and the trial court sustained the objection. The prosecutor then asked Murphy about her education and training regarding the treatment of rape victims. Murphy stated that she had received generalized training for emergency medicine and mental health that encompassed the treatment of rape victims. The prosecutor then asked:
The defense again objected, arguing that there had been no notice of expert testimony for this topic. Through discovery prior to trial, the defense had requested the disclosure of expert witnesses and their opinions, and the prosecution did not identify Murphy's opinion to be that rape victims freeze. The trial court sustained the objection. The prosecutor then followed up with, "Have you ever heard of a woman freezing while she's being raped?" The defense again objected:
[¶ 10.] During trial there was also an issue regarding contact between a spectator and a member of the jury. The defense made the circuit court aware that he had witnessed a spectator speaking with a juror during a recess. Counsel informed the court of the spectator's name, that the
[¶ 11.] Janis appeals his conviction, arguing three issues:
[¶ 13.] Janis argues that the circuit court erred when it found that Karen Murphy's testimony was not expert testimony. He argues that the testimony was expert testimony requiring disclosure to the defense prior to trial. "We review a [circuit] court's decision to admit or deny an expert's testimony under the abuse of discretion standard." State v. Johnson, 2015 S.D. 7, ¶ 30, 860 N.W.2d 235, 247 (quoting State v. Kvasnicka, 2013 S.D. 25, ¶ 18, 829 N.W.2d 123, 128). An abuse of discretion "is a fundamental error of judgment, a choice outside the range of permissible choices, a decision, which, on full consideration, is arbitrary or unreasonable." State v. Beckwith, 2015 S.D. 76, ¶ 7, 871 N.W.2d 57, 59.
[¶ 14.] SDCL 19-19-701 governs a lay witness's opinion testimony that is not subject to expert disclosure requirements. Under this rule,
SDCL 19-19-701. We construe evidentiary rules regarding opinion testimony liberally so as to relax the traditional barriers to opinion testimony. State v. Condon, 2007 S.D. 124, ¶ 30, 742 N.W.2d 861, 870.
[¶ 15.] The admitted testimony in this case conforms to the requirements of SDCL 19-19-701, and thus did not need to be disclosed prior to trial. Janis argues that the prosecutor expressly asked Murphy to make generalities about rape victims based on her training, work, and experience rather than her contact with J.E. It is true that the prosecutor asked these questions apparently attempting to lay foundation for inappropriate questions based on expert opinions not disclosed through discovery. However, the circuit court sustained Janis's objections to those questions. The only objection that the court overruled was to the prosecutor's question of: "Have you ever heard of a woman freezing while being raped?" (Emphasis added.) Murphy answered, "I have, yes. People have different — I mean, they obviously react differently, and it's not uncommon for people not to do anything." (Emphasis added). The admitted answer was based on Murphy's personal perceptions, throughout her career, of rape victims freezing, a response that did not
[¶ 16.] While reversal is not warranted, we do not endorse the prosecutor's approach in this case. His questioning and the record suggest that he was knowingly attempting to elicit expert testimony without prior disclosure. While the circuit court's sustaining of the defense's objections salvaged what could have otherwise merited reversal on appeal, we nonetheless emphasize that the prosecutor's approach was inappropriate.
[¶ 18.] Even without knowledge of the substance of the conversation, Janis argues that the contact between the juror and the spectator warrants a new trial. Janis argues that a presumption in favor of reversal exists when there is contact between a juror and a spectator and that the presumption can only be rebutted upon questioning the juror about the contact. See State v. Brown, 84 S.D. 201, 207, 169 N.W.2d 239, 242 (1969). Janis argues that the presumption remains because the circuit court did not question the juror at all about the contact and the State has failed to rebut it on appeal.
[¶ 19.] This argument ignores the fact that at trial, the court asked the parties if they consented to the court's choice to ignore the contact as the court did not wish to emphasize it. Janis's trial counsel fully consented, asking only that the court give an extra warning to the bailiff to be aware of future contact. This clearly distinguishes this case from Brown, where the defendant immediately requested a mistrial upon learning of the contact. 84 S.D. 201, 206, 169 N.W.2d at 241. Here, the defense consented to the circuit court's decision to not address the contact with the juror. While the defense may have brought the matter to the attention of the court, Janis cannot now complain of the court's failure to investigate the contact when Janis declined the opportunity to object or to suggest other courses of conduct. In re M.S., 2014 S.D. 17, ¶ 17 n. 4, 845 N.W.2d 366, 371 n. 4 ("It is the Court's `standard policy' that `failure to argue a point waives it on appeal.'" (quoting In re Estate of Smid, 2008 S.D. 82, ¶ 43 n. 15, 756 N.W.2d 1, 15 n. 15)).
[¶ 21.] Janis next argues that the prosecutor engaged in prosecutorial misconduct through his various comments during the trial. Janis acknowledges that trial counsel did not object to these comments at any point during trial, and thus our review is for plain error. SDCL 23A-44-15. See State v. Hayes, 2014 S.D. 72, ¶ 24, 855 N.W.2d 668, 675 (holding that properly objected to instances of prosecutorial misconduct are reviewed for an
[¶ 22.] We have held prosecutorial misconduct to be a "dishonest act or an attempt to persuade the jury by the use of deception or by reprehensible methods." Hayes, 2014 S.D. 72, ¶ 23, 855 N.W.2d at 675 (quoting State v. Lee, 1999 S.D. 81, ¶ 20, 599 N.W.2d 630, 634). While trial counsel has "considerable latitude in closing arguments," a prosecutor also shares in the court's obligation to ensure that the defendant receives a fair trial. State v. Smith, 1999 S.D. 83, ¶ 42, 599 N.W.2d 344, 353. It is not the prosecutor's duty to "seek a conviction at any price." Id. "The prosecutor must refrain from injecting unfounded or prejudicial innuendo into the proceedings, and [must] not appeal to the prejudices of the jury." State v. Janklow, 2005 S.D. 25, ¶ 47, 693 N.W.2d 685, 700-01 (quoting State v. Blaine, 427 N.W.2d 113, 115 (S.D.1988)). "A criminal conviction is not to be lightly overturned on the basis of a prosecutor's comments standing alone," but, if the prosecutor's conduct affects the fairness of the trial when viewed in context of the entire proceeding, reversal can be warranted. United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 11, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 1044, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985). Appellate courts must "relive the whole trial imaginatively" and not "extract from episodes in isolation abstract questions of evidence and procedure." Id. at 16, 105 S.Ct. at 1047 (quoting Johnson v. United States, 318 U.S. 189, 202, 63 S.Ct. 549, 555, 87 L.Ed. 704 (1943) (Frankfurter, J., concurring)).
[¶ 23.] Under plain error review, we must initially determine if there was error at trial that is plain. Janis first argues that comments made by the prosecutor during voir dire qualify as plain error. Prospective jurors may not be questioned about hypothetical facts to be proved at trial, but may be questioned about their
[¶ 24.] The prosecutor's most egregious conduct was his repeated reference to Janis breaking his wedding vows and to Janis's character. These comments culminated in the prosecutor's closing, when he asserted that the case was about Janis's character. The prosecutor inexplicably stated in closing that "[t]his goes to the character of the person that took the vows, and that is essentially what I'm asking you to judge is, I'm asking you to judge Cleve Janis and his character when he took those vows." (Emphasis added.) We have previously disapproved of a prosecutor referring to a defendant's character in closing argument. Janklow, 2005 S.D. 25, ¶ 48, 693 N.W.2d at 701 (disapproving of a prosecutor's use of character evidence in the context of prosecutorial misconduct, but affirming the conviction due to a lack of prejudice). See also SDCL 19-19-404 (stating that evidence of a person's character is inadmissible to show that a person acted in conformity with that character on a particular occasion). The jury's duty is to determine whether the elements of the charged offense have been met, not to judge the defendant's character. State v. Lybarger, 497 N.W.2d 102, 105 (S.D.1993) ("It is the jury's role to decide whether the elements of an offense have been met."). It does not matter that these comments occurred in the context of the prosecutor's discussion of credibility — to outright declare that the jury's role was to judge the defendant's character is exceedingly inappropriate. Therefore, the prosecutor's comments throughout trial amount to error that is plain.
[¶ 25.] While the comments of the prosecutor were improper, Janis must still show that his substantial rights were affected by the error. See Nelson, 1998 S.D. 124, ¶ 8, 587 N.W.2d at 443. "Specifically, [the defendant] must demonstrate that the error affected the outcome of the proceeding." Hayes, 2014 S.D. 72, ¶ 37, 855 N.W.2d at 679. While the prosecutor's conduct in this case was exceedingly inappropriate, we note that the circuit court correctly instructed the jury on all of the elements of third-degree rape and the duties of a jury. We must assume that the jury followed these instructions. Baddou v. Hall, 2008 S.D. 90, ¶ 37, 756 N.W.2d 554, 563. The elements of third-degree rape were also described by both the defense and prosecution in their closing arguments.
[¶ 26.] Additionally, this case did not turn on Janis's character but rather on the victim's consent and her level of intoxication. There was evidence that she was "super drunk" and barely able to hold a conversation. She also could not eat without spilling. With respect to consent, Janis concededly lied the morning after the incident when he claimed that he did not have sex with the victim. On the other hand, the victim immediately and consistently
[¶ 27.] The heavy burden Janis now bears through plain error analysis is due to trial defense counsel's failure to object to any of the inappropriate behavior exhibited by the prosecutor at trial. Had there been an objection that was overruled, the State would have the burden on appeal to show that the error was harmless under SDCL 23A-44-14, and the result on appeal may have been different. See Olano, 507 U.S. at 734, 113 S.Ct. at 1778 (noting the burden change on appeal when defendant objects at trial).
[¶ 28.] The circuit court did not err by admitting Murphy's testimony. The question permitted was rationally based on the witness's perception and was qualified as opinion testimony under SDCL 19-19-701 as distinguished from an expert's opinion under 19-19-702. Additionally, Janis effectively waived his argument regarding the contact between the juror and the spectator by consenting to the circuit court's proposed action and not asking the court to take further action other than cautioning the bailiff. We will not reverse due to the prosecutorial misconduct. The prosecutor's behavior was inappropriate, but Janis has not shown that the result of the trial would have likely been different had the misconduct not occurred. We affirm.
[¶ 29.] GILBERTSON, Chief Justice, and ZINTER and WILBUR, Justices, concur.
[¶ 30.] KERN, Justice, concurs in part and dissents in part.
KERN, Justice (concurring in part and dissenting in part).
[¶ 31.] I concur in the majority opinion's analysis of Issues 1 and 2. As to Issue 3, I agree with the majority opinion's conclusion that the prosecutorial misconduct involved was "exceedingly inappropriate" and constituted plain error. However, I respectfully disagree that this does not reach the threshold of a federal constitutional violation warranting reversal. In my view, the State's conduct was so improper that it seriously affected the fairness and integrity of the judicial proceedings, depriving Janis of his substantial right to a fair and impartial jury. I would reverse and remand for a new trial.
[¶ 32.] When analyzing a claim under the plain error standard of review it is necessary to carefully review the claim against the entire record. United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 16, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 1046, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985). Such a review establishes that beginning with voir dire, the State attempted to improperly influence the potential jurors and interject their mental attitudes into the case. The most egregious conduct involved the State's focus on the character of the accused and his unfaithfulness to his wedding vows. "In deciding whether questions exceed the proper scope of voir dire, courts can look to whether they: (1) seek to uncover biases, prejudgments, or prejudices; (2) attempt to ascertain impartiality and qualifications; or (3) undertake to entrap, influence, or obtain a pledge on issues
[¶ 33.] During voir dire, the State began a discussion regarding the nature of the offense with this statement: "And, um, the facts of this case, the groom raped the bride of honor — the maid of honor. That is the fact that we have beat around the bush, and I'm not beating around the bush anymore. On the wedding night." But this inflammatory statement by the State was the question to be decided by the jury. A defendant has a right to be tried solely on the basis of the evidence presented to the jury. The risk with this type of remark is that "the prosecutor's opinion carries with it the imprimatur of the Government and may induce the jury to trust the Government's judgment rather than its own view of the evidence." Young, 470 U.S. at 18-19, 105 S.Ct. at 1048. This tone and tactic pervaded every aspect of the trial.
[¶ 34.] Next, the State proceeded to elicit from potential jurors the lengths of their marriages receiving answers of 20, 26, 29, 40, 42, and 58 years. The State then inquired about the individual juror's feelings regarding their marriage vows. The State asked a prospective juror who performed marriages, "[f]rom the day you took the vow to every time that you've given the vow, what do they mean to you?" The juror answered that he took the vows very seriously and it involved a matter of personal integrity to him. The colloquy continued:
The State asked other jurors questions such as: "What do your vows mean to you? ... Any amount of alcohol make you sacrifice them?"; "Is there anything more important than that vow that you took with that man, your husband?"; and "Can you think of anything in your life more important than that day and those vows you took?"
[¶ 35.] The improper references to Janis's character only began with voir dire. Throughout opening statements, questioning, and both closing arguments, the State continued to inject Janis's character into the trial tying it to Janis's infidelity to his wedding vows. The State's comments were not limited to those provided in the majority opinion. In its opening statement, the State directed the jurors, "Now, when you look at this case and you evaluate it, look at the credibility and the trust and the vows." Again, when cross-examining Janis, the State directed the focus to Janis's marriage vows asking, "Those marital vows that you took at Chautauqua Park are only as strong as the character of the person taking those vows. Do you agree with that?" The State also asked Janis, "Okay. So let's talk about your character. Because we talked about your character and what you thought of [your wife] the day after your wedding, but let's walk through the night after the reception."
[¶ 36.] The State wrapped up its first closing argument by referring to the vows, stating that while the parties agreed J.E. said stop, "Cleve didn't stop. You know what Cleve did? Cleve finished. He finished. And I think that that fact, that fact shows the true character of the man that took the vows that day. That's his character." As noted in the majority opinion, there were further references to Janis's character in the rebuttal closing argument when the State said, "And I think if you focus on the quarter, you focus on the facts, you focus on character, you will convict Cleve Janis."
[¶ 37.] Closing arguments "should be no more than an accurate summary of the state of the evidence." State v. Smith, 1999 S.D. 83, ¶ 48, 599 N.W.2d 344, 354. Attorneys are permitted to "discuss the evidence, pointing out discrepancies and conflicts in the testimony, and argue that the evidence in the record supports and justifies a conviction ... he or she may make remarks, not based on the record, which concern matters of general knowledge or experience." Id. ¶ 46, 599 N.W.2d
[¶ 38.] To resolve these issues, the jury was required to evaluate the testimony of Janis and J.E. The only purpose of repeatedly emphasizing Janis's failure to abide by his wedding vows was to show that he was a man of bad character. A man, whose testimony included that J.E. was able to give consent and did consent to the sexual act, should not be believed. This is an impermissible use of character evidence, which is only admissible under carefully prescribed rules. See SDCL 19-19-404; SDCL 19-19-607 to 609.
SCDL 19-19-404(b)(1) provides that "[e]vidence of a crime, wrong, or other act is not admissible to prove a person's character in order to show that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the character."