Legal Opinion
Williams v. State
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
Decided February 8, 1983No. F-80-705PublishedCited by 43 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION
CORNISH, Judge:
The appellant, Jerry Williams, was convicted of Rape in the First Degree in Johnson County District Court. He received a sentence of life imprisonment.
The dispositive issue on appeal is whether improper arguments by the prosecuting attorney denied Williams a fair and impartial trial. We find that due to the numerous instances of prosecutorial misconduct the appellant must be afforded a new trial.
First, during the voir dire examination the prosecutor attempted to define “reasonable doubt” to the jury. The prosecutor argued:
“. .. Anybody seen Perry Mason? I always get…
Also in this document: Concurrence.
2Cases cited8 opinions
- Cobbs v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1981
- Frazier v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1980
- Lewis v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1977
- Jones v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1976
- Tart v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1981
3 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by43 opinions
- Ake v. OklahomaSupreme Court of the United States · 1985
- Smallwood v. GibsonCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 1999
- Pickens v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1993
- Paxton v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1993
- Duvall v. StateCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma · 1991
38 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.