State v. Gonzalez

Summary

The court affirmed the convictions, holding that the prosecutor's decision to reserve detailed discussion of evidence for rebuttal did not deprive the defendant of his Sixth Amendment right to present a closing argument or his due process right to a fair trial. The defense knew the evidence and the state's theory, had addressed the reliability of the forensic and eyewitness evidence, and made a strategic choice not to discuss the DNA statistics directly. The court further held that the prosecutor's challenged descriptions of the DNA and fingerprint evidence did not violate the right to present a closing argument and, even assuming impropriety, were harmless under the applicable due process analysis.