State v. Widmer

1

NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

No. 114,992

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS

STATE OF KANSAS,
Appellee,

v.

DAVID CONRAD WIDMER,
Appellant.


MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appeal from Johnson District Court; JAMES CHARLES DROEGE, judge. Opinion filed April 21,
2017. Affirmed.

Caroline M. Zuschek, of Kansas Appellate Defender Office, for appellant.

Shawn E. Minihan, assistant district attorney, Stephen M. Howe, district attorney, and Derek
Schmidt, attorney general, for appellee.

Before ARNOLD-BURGER, C.J., BUSER and POWELL, JJ.

Per Curiam: David Conrad Widmer appeals his conviction and sentence for the
aggravated battery of his sister, Brandy Knight. Widmer raises five issues. First, he
contends the trial court should not have given the jury an initial aggressor instruction.
Second, Widmer objects to being referred to as "the defendant" in the jury instructions.
Third, he alleges the prosecutor erred in comments made during his closing argument.
Fourth, Widmer asserts the trial court erred in allowing the prosecutor to question a
witness on a subject matter that was beyond the scope of direct examination. Finally, he
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claims the trial court erred in refusing to grant a further durational departure at
sentencing.

Having reviewed the record and considered the parties' briefs addressing the five
issues Widmer raises on appeal, we find no error and, as a result, affirm the conviction
and sentence.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On February 1, 2015, Brandy, her husband, Alex, and their 6-month-old infant
visited Widmer's apartment to watch the Super Bowl. During this gathering, Alex
received a call and stated that he had to go to work. Widmer agreed to drive Alex and the
two men left the apartment.

At trial, the accounts of what happened next varied significantly. According to
Widmer's wife, Tiffany, while the two men were gone, Brandy complained about Alex's
laziness and cried because the couple had fought earlier that day. Brandy, however,
testified that she neither fought with Alex nor discussed the subject with Tiffany. Upon
Widmer's return to the apartment, he informed Brandy that he believed Alex was
cheating on her. This conversation upset both Widmer and Brandy, and tensions
escalated. Brandy eventually stated that she wanted to leave.

At trial, Brandy testified to her recollection of what happened leading up to the
physical altercation. According to her, she went to a corner of the apartment to put her
shoes on. Widmer followed and continued to yell at her from "a foot and a half to two
feet away." Brandy stated that Widmer's conduct was "[s]cary" because "he was yelling
at [her] and moving his arms a lot and . . . [h]is skin was turning bright red and his eyes
were bulging and his veins were popping out of his neck." Brandy repeatedly told
Widmer that she wanted to leave, but he told her he did not want her to leave and he
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impeded her attempt. Widmer was yelling angrily and, according to Brandy he was
"drooling and spitting on me."

Attempting to leave, Brandy "tried to duck and dive underneath [Widmer] with my
son in my arms keeping my son's head close to me like this (indicating) and then it was
right here and I shoved him to get underneath his arms." As Brandy described it, "[i]t was
like a dodge, dive thing." She then placed her infant son on the couch and turned to face
Widmer. At this point, according to Brandy, Widmer punched her in the face. Brandy
may have been rendered briefly unconscious from the punch because she recalled sitting
on the floor and getting punched again by Widmer.

Tiffany presented a very different rendition of events at trial. Tiffany testified that
she helped Brandy put a sweater on her son, while standing between Brandy and Widmer.
Brandy then launched herself past Tiffany and head-butted Widmer. Tiffany stated that
Brandy repeatedly tried to attack Widmer, but that he defended himself each time by
punching Brandy in the face. Later, before Brandy left, both she and Widmer apologized
to each other and hugged.

Medical examinations revealed that Brandy sustained a fractured eye socket and a
broken nose. Brandy also testified that she had extensive facial swelling and bruising.

As a result of this incident, Widmer was charged with aggravated battery, a
severity level 4 person felony in violation of K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5413(b). At trial,
Widmer contended that he struck Brandy in self-defense. A jury found Widmer guilty of
aggravated battery. The trial court granted a downward durational departure to a 140-
month prison term with 36 months' postrelease supervision. Widmer appeals.



4

INITIAL AGGRESSOR INSTRUCTION

On appeal, Widmer first contends the trial court erroneously provided the jury
with an initial aggressor instruction. That instruction, Instruction No. 20, provided:

"A person who initially provokes the use of force against himself is not permitted
to use force to defend himself unless:
"1. The person reasonably believes that he is in present danger of death or
great bodily harm, and he has used every reasonable means to escape
such danger other than the use of physical force which is likely to cause
death or great bodily harm to the other person.
"OR
"2. The person has in good faith withdrawn from physical contact with the
other person and indicates clearly to the other person that he desires to
withdraw and stop the use of force, but the other person continues or
resumes the use of force."

At trial, Widmer objected to the inclusion of Instruction No. 20, arguing, "there
was no evidence presented that [his] actions provoked [Brandy's] actions in the case."

The trial judge overruled Widmer's objection, explaining:

"[T]his instruction just gives a general instruction with regard to provocation. I think that
. . . —there is sufficient evidence in the case, at least that the initial contact that was made
by [Brandy] in this case with the defendant, which later was the reason that the defendant
has argued that he felt a right—he had to—he had a right to defend himself.
"The provocation part of that is the part where the victim testified that she was
either cornered or blocked or in some way prohibited from trying to leave the premises
and that in an attempt to get away from what she felt was a threatening situation, made
physical contact with the defendant with her shoulder and her side of her neck or part of
her upper body and I think that sort of evidence does lend itself to a least providing this
instruction to the jury to at least state what is the correct . . . statement of the law with
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regard to whether or not a person can—maybe the jury doesn't find that there was a
provocation of the use of force to—against him by the victim in this case, but in any
event, there is such evidence in the case that would allow the giving of that instruction."

On appeal, Widmer renews his objection to Instruction No. 20, and he alleges that
an initial aggressor instruction was not legally or factually appropriate based on the facts
of this case.

We begin with a summary of our standard of review. When reviewing challenges
to a trial court's jury instructions, Kansas courts follow a multistep analysis:

"'(1) First, the appellate court should consider the reviewability of the issue from
both jurisdiction and preservation viewpoints, exercising an unlimited standard of review;
(2) next, the court should use an unlimited review to determine whether the instruction
was legally appropriate; (3) then, the court should determine whether there was sufficient
evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the defendant or the requesting party, that
would have supported the instruction; and (4) finally, if the district court erred, the
appellate court must determine whether the error was harmless . . . .'" State v. Woods, 301
Kan. 852, 876, 348 P.3d 583 (2015).

The first step of reviewability concerns whether this court may exercise its
appellate jurisdiction and whether the defendant raised any objection to the jury
instruction at trial. See State v. Simmons, 295 Kan. 171, 175, 283 P.3d 212 (2012). In the
present case, there is no objection to our jurisdiction and Widmer did object to Instruction
No. 20 at trial.

Next, we consider the legal and factual appropriateness of the trial court's decision
to provide the jury with an initial aggressor instruction. Widmer argues that Instruction
No. 20 was inappropriate because the trial evidence established that Brandy—not
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Widmer—initiated the physical contact. In other words, Widmer alleges that he acted in
self-defense and he was not the initial aggressor.

Self-defense is codified in K.S.A. 2016 Supp. 21-5222(a) and provides: "A person
is justified in the use of force against another when and to the extent it appears to such
person and such person reasonably believes that such use of force is necessary to defend
such person . . . against such other's imminent use of unlawful force." However, K.S.A.
2016 Supp. 21-5226 sets forth the initial aggressor exception, stating that the self-defense
justification is not available to a person who:

"(b) initially provokes the use of any force against such person or another, with
intent to use such force as an excuse to inflict bodily harm upon the assailant; or
"(c) otherwise initially provokes the use of any force against such person or
another, unless:
(1) Such person has reasonable grounds to believe that such person is in
imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, and has exhausted every reasonable
means to escape such danger other than the use of deadly force; or
(2) in good faith, such person withdraws from physical contact with the assailant
and indicates clearly to the assailant that such person desires to withdraw and terminate
the use of such force, but the assailant continues or resumes the use of such force."

The Pattern Instructions for Kansas (Criminal) implement this exact statutory
language in PIK Crim. 4th 52.250 (2015 Supp.), and the trial court incorporated verbatim
the PIK language in Instruction No. 20. Of note, Kansas courts are strongly encouraged
to use the "PIK instructions, which knowledgeable committees develop to bring accuracy,
clarity, and uniformity to [jury] instructions." State v. Barber, 302 Kan. 367, 377-78, 353
P.3d 1108 (2015).

Nevertheless, Widmer argues Instruction No. 20 was not legally appropriate under
the circumstances because "the plain language of the initial-aggressor instruction clearly
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contemplates . . . the provocation of force or threat of force, and not merely name calling
or inaction." In support of this assertion, Widmer states the trial evidence established that
Brandy first made contact with him. Widmer then argues that an initial aggressor
instruction is only proper in those instances where the defendant physically attacks the
victim first. Widmer concludes that, because "[b]oth parties agree that [Brandy]
instigated the physical conflict," it is clear "he was [not] the initial aggressor and the
initial-aggressor instruction was [not] legally . . . appropriate."

As the State points out, however, Kansas courts have consistently held that an
initial aggressor instruction may be appropriate in circumstances where the defendant did
not necessarily initiate physical contact with the victim. See State v. Meyers, 245 Kan.
471, 781 P.2d 700 (1989) (self-defense instruction not appropriate where defendant
provoked victims by throwing firecrackers and leading them on a high-speed chase).

For example, in State v. Salary, 301 Kan. 586, 343 P.3d 1165 (2015), the victim
became upset with the defendant when the defendant refused to speak to his grandmother.
As a consequence, the victim informed the defendant, "'Either you're gonna walk out or
you're gonna get carried out, but one way or another, your ass is leaving [this house] right
now, today.'" 301 Kan. at 591. In response, the defendant did not leave, but instead
returned to his room and armed himself. Later, the defendant shot and killed the victim
when the victim moved towards him. At trial, the defendant claimed he had acted in self-
defense because he believed the victim was armed. The trial court, however, denied the
defendant's request for a self-defense jury instruction. 301 Kan. at 589-91.

On appeal, our Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's ruling and found the
defendant "was not entitled to an instruction on self-defense." 301 Kan. at 598. The court
emphasized the defendant's decision to stay in the victim's house, noting that "[h]e . . .
refused to obey [the victim's] order to leave, when leaving would have ended any
confrontation." 301 Kan. at 596. Such conduct, our Supreme Court found, constituted
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provocation that rendered the defendant ineligible for a self-defense instruction. 301 Kan.
at 597.

Salary rebuts Widmer's contention that an initial aggressor instruction is only
appropriate in those circumstances where the defendant first makes physical contact with
the victim. As Salary shows, other conduct that elicits a physical response from the
victim could—in some circumstances—be characterized as provocation within the
meaning of K.S.A. 2016 Supp. 21-5226.

Based on the evidence presented in this case, the trial court did not err when it
found there was testimony that Widmer's conduct provoked Brandy's physical contact
(pushing past him with her upper-body or elbow). Although Tiffany testified that Brandy
exacerbated the argument with Widmer and eventually attacked him, Brandy's version of
events differed significantly. In her testimony, Brandy stated that she verbalized her
desire to leave Widmer's apartment, but she was prevented from leaving by Widmer
when he cornered her and started yelling. Only after that incitement did Brandy
acknowledge that she "shoved [Widmer] to get underneath his arms," placed her child on
a sofa, turned to face Widmer, and was punched in the face. These competing eyewitness
accounts left the jury with the factual question of whether Widmer acted in self-defense
or, alternatively, whether his aggressive conduct provoked Brandy's efforts to escape
from the confrontation by leaving the apartment.

Our Supreme Court addressed the propriety of giving an initial aggressor
instruction in a similar case, State v. Hunt, 257 Kan. 388, 894 P.2d 178 (1995), and found
that giving the instruction was proper. The Supreme Court reasoned:

"The jury was not instructed that the defendant was an initial aggressor or that the
defendant had provoked [the victim] into reaching for what the defendant thought was a
gun. . . . [T]he question of whether the defendant was an aggressor was one for the jury.
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If the jury did not find that the defendant was an aggressor, it could disregard the limit on
the defendant's right to use self-defense." 257 Kan. at 394.

Our court has followed the approach enunciated in Hunt in another circumstance.
See State v. Jones, No. 108,357, 2014 WL 37678, at *7 (Kan. App. 2014) (unpublished
opinion) ("[T]he jury was entitled to decide whether [the defendant] had provoked [the
victim]. . . . [I]f the jury concluded [the defendant] had not provoked [the victim], it could
have disregarded the limit on the right to use self-defense found in the initial aggressor
instruction . . . .").

As discussed earlier, there were sufficient facts to support the theory that Widmer
provoked the physical altercation by verbally accosting Brandy and impeding her attempt
to leave the apartment. Given this factual basis, an initial aggressor instruction was
legally appropriate. In this regard, we take guidance from Hunt and apply it to the
resolution of this case. Contrary to Widmer's contention, Instruction No. 20 merely
established the parameters whereby the jury could find that he did not act in self-defense.
Indeed, the jury could have considered Instruction No. 20 and concluded that it did not
apply to its view of the facts, ultimately embracing Widmer's theory of self-defense.
However, the facts of this case—and the competing testimony of the eyewitnesses—
clearly show that an initial aggressor instruction was both legally and factually
appropriate. We find no error.

Moreover, assuming arguendo the trial court erroneously provided the initial
aggressor instruction, we conclude that any error was harmless. An error is harmless if
the State can demonstrate "beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of will
not or did not affect the outcome of the trial in light of the entire record, i.e., where there
is no reasonable possibility that the error contributed to the verdict." State v. Ward, 292
Kan. 541, Syl. ¶ 6, 256 P.3d 801 (2011).

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In his brief, Widmer asserts that "[t]he giving of the [initial aggressor]
instruction . . . allowed the jury to disregard his defense based on an incorrect application
of the law." But as the State points out, the jury also received a self-defense instruction
which correctly informed the jury of the legal basis for Widmer's theory of defense.
Regardless of the presence of an initial aggressor instruction, the jury still was instructed
regarding Widmer's self-defense theory. Nothing in the record suggests the inclusion of
Instruction No. 20 impermissibly affected the jury's verdict. Thus, if there was error, it
was harmless.

REFERENCE TO WIDMER AS "THE DEFENDANT"
THROUGHOUT THE JURY INSTRUCTIONS

Next, Widmer contends the trial court erred when it referred to him as "the
defendant" rather than by his full name throughout the jury instructions. Widmer raised
this objection at trial, but the trial judge denied it, stating:

"[T]hat is a common request. And, frankly, PIK could have, I guess, in the preparation of
the Pattern Instructions for Kansas could have said to insert the defendant's name here,
but they haven't done that. I'm assuming it might be just because it is easier to set—get it
typed out and get it prepared.
"So I'm a believer that I should follow PIK unless there is some exceptional
circumstances and so your objection is noted but will be denied."

Because this is another complaint about jury instructions made by Widmer, our
same standard of review and analytical progression applies in resolving this issue. See
Woods, 301 Kan. at 876. Because Widmer raised this objection below, our court reviews
the trial court's ruling for harmless error. See State v. Jaghoori, No. 112,920, 2016 WL
4262485, at *4 (Kan. App. 2016) (unpublished opinion).

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Without citing any supporting caselaw, Widmer argues that referring to him by his
full name, rather than as the defendant, was both legally and factually appropriate. In his
view, this modification to the PIK instructions "would have humanized him, and put him
on equal footing with [Brandy], who was not referred to as 'the victim' or 'the
complaining witness,' but by her name." Widmer also contends that calling him the
defendant could have prejudiced the jury against him because "there was a question for
the jury as to who was actually the victim."

Despite these arguments, Widmer acknowledges that Kansas law does not support
his legal contention—a fact emphasized by the State. In State v. Wilkerson, 278 Kan. 147,
159, 91 P.3d 1181 (2004), the Kansas Supreme Court rejected an almost identical legal
argument and ruled that "PIK instructions do not require the use of a criminal defendant's
name and use of PIK instructions generally is recommended." The Supreme Court
concluded: "[The defendant] was not prejudiced by the instructions referring to him as
defendant." 278 Kan. at 159.

Widmer also acknowledges that Kansas courts generally should defer to the PIK.
See Barber, 302 Kan. at 377-78. However, he asserts this "case presented a situation
where modification of 'the defendant' to his name 'David Widmer' would have been
appropriate."

We are not persuaded. Widmer has not shown that the use of the term the
defendant throughout the jury instructions was error. On the other hand, based on
Wilkerson, we are convinced it was not error for the trial court to follow the PIK
instructions rather than insert Widmer's name throughout the instructions.

Moreover, assuming arguendo the trial court was in error, we are persuaded the
error would have been harmless. See Ward, 292 Kan. 541, Syl. ¶ 6. Widmer proposes that
"[h]umanizing the complaining witness while dehumanizing [him] biased the jury and
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made it more likely the jury would see [Brandy] as a person and [him] as merely the
defendant." The record on appeal does not show any factual basis for this argument.
Widmer, as the defendant in a criminal case, was a party to the litigation and Brandy was
not. There is no reasonable possibility that referring to Widmer as the defendant rather
than by his name in the instructions contributed to the verdict. See 292 Kan. 541, Syl. ¶ 6.

PROSECUTORIAL ERROR DURING CLOSING ARGUMENT

Widmer next contends the prosecutor erred during the State's closing argument. In
particular, Widmer takes issue with the following italicized statements made by the
prosecutor during his first closing argument:

"[Officer] Shurmantine is with the defendant, he estimated for over five hours
and not at any time did he see any type of injury [on the defendant] whatsoever. You will
see. Go through the photographs of the defendant. Go through the shot that was taken of
him at two o'clock in the morning, that night, there is nothing on him.
"Now, we'll talk more about self-defense when I get back up here in just a little
bit after [defense counsel] talks, but is it reasonable to believe that what [Widmer] did,
when he looks like this, that he had to do this, that he had no other choice, that it was
necessary for him to do that. This was not necessary. This was not reasonable. It was not
self-defense. It was retaliation and there is a difference.
"The defendant should be held accountable for what he did. He should be held
accountable by finding him guilty of what he's charged with which is aggravated battery
(Option 1) and that's what we'd ask you to do when you go back to the jury room."
(Emphasis added.)

Referencing these italicized statements, Widmer asserts the prosecutor improperly
gave his "personal opinion in the form of unsworn testimony" regarding Widmer's guilt
and "invaded the province of the jury."

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In State v. Sherman, 305 Kan. 88, 378 P.3d 1060 (2016), our Supreme Court
recently modified the standard of review for what used to be denoted as prosecutorial
misconduct. Under this new standard for prosecutorial error, appellate courts engage in a
two-step review, which can be described as "error and prejudice." 305 Kan. at 109. In the
first step of this analysis,

"[t]o determine whether prosecutorial error has occurred, the appellate court must decide
whether the prosecutorial acts complained of fall outside the wide latitude afforded
prosecutors to conduct the State's case and attempt to obtain a conviction in a manner that
does not offend the defendant's constitutional right to a fair trial." 305 Kan. at 109.

If the appellate court finds error, it moves to the second step to "determine whether
the error prejudiced the defendant's due process rights to a fair trial," using the traditional
constitutional harmless error inquiry. 305 Kan. at 109. An error is harmless if the State
can demonstrate "'beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of will not or did
not affect the outcome of the trial in light of the entire record, i.e., where there is no
reasonable possibility that the error contributed to the verdict.'" 305 Kan. at 109 (quoting
Ward, 292 Kan. 541, Syl. ¶ 6).

Did the prosecutor commit error? Generally, prosecutors are not permitted to give
a personal opinion regarding the ultimate guilt or innocence of a defendant, as "'such
expressions of personal opinion[s] are a form of unsworn, unchecked testimony, not
commentary on the evidence of the case.' [Citation omitted.]" State v. Peppers, 294 Kan.
377, 399, 276 P.3d 148 (2012). Nevertheless, in Peppers, the Supreme Court found that a
directional statement that serves "'as an opening for the prosecutor's upcoming
summation of the evidence'" is permissible, as are a "'prosecutor's comments asking the
jury not to let the defendant get away with the crime.'" 294 Kan. at 399. Indeed, the
Supreme Court held that a prosecutor is allowed to argue that the evidence proves the
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defendant's guilt provided the prosecutor adds directional language, such as "'the
evidence shows the defendant's guilt'" to the statement. 294 Kan. at 399-400.

In Peppers, the prosecutor told the jury, "'I'm going to ask that you to find this
defendant . . . guilty of murder in the first degree . . . . Why? Because he did it.'" 294
Kan. at 399. Later, the prosecutor commented, "'[Y]ou need to come in, you need to look
at the defendant, and you need to tell him he's guilty and you need to look him in the eye
and say you are guilty of murder . . . because he is.'" 294 Kan. at 399. On appeal, the
Kansas Supreme Court held both statements "strayed into impermissible expressions of
[the] prosecutor's personal opinion on [the defendant's] guilt," because the prosecutor
"failed to include any directional language." 294 Kan. at 400.

Widmer argues that the prosecutor's statements in this case are identical to those
made in Peppers. In his view, the prosecutors in both cases posed rhetorical questions
that were then answered "in such a way as to comment on the defendant's guilt." Much
like Peppers, Widmer argues that the prosecutor's statements required directional
language to be permissible.

The State counters by arguing that the prosecutor never expressed his personal
opinion to the jury, but merely "touched upon the requirements of self defense,
[including] the objective belief that self defense was necessary." The State continues: "If
[Widmer] appear[ed] untouched, and [Brandy] ha[d] multiple fractures to her face, it
[was] proper to point that out to the jury."

In resolving this issue, we find guidance from our Supreme Court's opinion in
State v. Mireles, 297 Kan. 339, 301 P.3d 677 (2013). There, the prosecutor made the
following comment during closing argument: "'I have gone through the scene at the
motel room. I won't repeat it. But I do not believe evidence shows a credible version of
the evidence to support the lesser included offenses.'" (Emphasis added.) 297 Kan. at 368.
15

On appeal, the defendant argued this statement constituted an improper expression of the
prosecutor's opinion. The Kansas Supreme Court disagreed and noted "[t]he comment at
issue . . . came after the prosecutor gave a lengthy discussion of the evidence presented at
trial establishing [the defendant's] guilt." 297 Kan. at 369. The Supreme Court concluded:

"[T]he prosecutor essentially stated that he did not believe, based on the evidence he
discussed, that the defendant could be found guilty of the lesser included offenses.
Accordingly, we construe the prosecutor's statement as being 'merely directional and not
an expression of the prosecutor's personal opinion.'" 297 Kan. at 368 (quoting Peppers,
294 Kan. at 400).

The present case is similar to Mireles. Here, the prosecutor preceded his
statements which Widmer claims were improper, with a lengthy rendition of the trial
evidence. He then compared the witness testimony with Widmer's self-defense theory
and concluded the two were incompatible. In context, then, the prosecutor's comments
were similar to the permissible statements found in Mireles, except that even here, unlike
Mireles, the prosecutor did not state his belief in the evidence which, under certain
circumstances, may be considered improper argument. And, in contrast to the improper
conclusory statements made in Peppers, the prosecutor's argument in this case merely
called Widmer's defense theory into question. We are persuaded that the prosecutor's
comments were directional and not an expression of his personal opinion.

Moreover, assuming for purposes of argument there was prosecutorial error, we
find it would be harmless. In this regard, an error is harmless if the State can demonstrate
beyond a reasonable doubt that it did not affect the outcome of the trial, i.e., where there
is no reasonable possibility the error affected the jury's verdict. Sherman, 305 Kan. at
109.

Widmer argues the prosecutor's statements influenced the jury "[b]ecause the
evidence against [him] was not overwhelming." To this end, Widmer notes that the
16

question of whether he committed aggravated battery was a matter of witness credibility,
that is, whether the jury believed the testimony of Tiffany or Brandy. The State counters
that the comments "would not have made an impact on the decision making of the jury,
[that] was tasked with determining the credibility of Tiffany and Brandy."

We agree with both parties that the jury's evaluation of the credibility of Widmer,
Brandy, and Tiffany was an important consideration in arriving at the guilty verdict in
this case. All three witnesses testified at trial and the jury was fully capable of assessing
first-hand their veracity when testifying to their differing accounts of the incident.
Additionally, the direct evidence of the severity of Brandy's injuries in comparison to the
lack of obvious injury to Widmer also may have influenced the verdict. Against this
substantive evidentiary backdrop, the jury was advised in Instruction No. 4 that
"[s]tatements, arguments, and remarks of counsel are intended to help you in
understanding the evidence and in applying the law, but they are not evidence. If any
statements are made that are not supported by evidence, they should be disregarded."
Considered in context, we are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the prosecutor's
cursory remarks did not affect the outcome of the trial or raise a reasonable possibility
that any error affected the jury's verdict. See Sherman, 305 Kan. at 109.

CROSS-EXAMINATION BEYOND THE SCOPE OF DIRECT EXAMINATION

For his next issue, Widmer contends the trial court abused its discretion when it
allowed the State to cross-examine Tiffany outside the scope of her direct examination.

"The scope of cross-examination is subject to reasonable control by the trial
court." State v. Corbett, 281 Kan. 294, Syl. ¶ 4, 130 P.3d 1179 (2006). Appellate courts
review a trial court's decision to limit cross-examination for abuse of discretion. 281 Kan.
at 307-08. A judicial action constitutes an abuse of discretion if (1) no reasonable person
would take the view adopted by the trial court; (2) the action is based on an error of law;
17

or (3) the action is based on an error of fact. State v. Marshall, 303 Kan. 438, 445, 362
P.3d 587 (2015).

At trial, the following colloquy occurred during the State's cross-examination of
Tiffany:

"[PROSECUTOR:] Now, you stated today there was a second punch that was
thrown by [Widmer]; is that right?
"[TIFFANY:] Yes.
"[PROSECUTOR:] And according to what you're saying today, that was after
Brandy went after your husband for a second time?
"[TIFFANY:] Yes.
"[PROSECUTOR:] Where did he hit her that time?
"[TIFFANY:] I believe in the face.
"[PROSECUTOR:] Now, Ms. Widmer, you stated you're aware of the fact that
your husband spoke to law enforcement that night; is that right?
"[TIFFANY:] Yes.
"[PROSECUTOR:] Are you aware of the fact that he denied hitting your
husband or—excuse me, [Brandy]?
"[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Objection, Your Honor, it is outside the scope of
direct.
. . . .
"[THE COURT:] So the objection was what?
"[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Just outside the scope. I believe that he needs to
finish the question first then.
"[THE COURT:] I'll overrule that.
"[PROSECUTOR:] My question, Judge, is if she is aware of the fact that her
husband denied even hitting [Brandy]. I don't think that's outside the scope we discussed.
"[THE COURT:] Well, all right. I've ruled. Overruled. And if you know the
answer to that question, you may answer.
"[TIFFANY:] No.
"[PROSECUTOR:] You're not aware of that?
"[TIFFANY:] No.
18

"[PROSECUTOR:] All right. So if anybody said that your husband didn't hit
Brandy, that would be inaccurate; correct?
"[TIFFANY:] Yes." (Emphasis added.)

Widmer argues that the prosecutor's cross-examination exceeded the scope of
Tiffany's direct examination because "[t]he defense never asked [Tiffany] about her
interview with police or what her husband said to police when they came later to
investigate."

The transcript of Tiffany's direct examination shows that she testified about the
Super Bowl party, argument, physical violence and its aftermath. In particular, she was
questioned about the actions of Widmer and Brandy immediately before and during the
physical altercation that resulted in Brandy's injuries. During her account, Tiffany
specifically described how Widmer struck Brandy twice with his fist.

The defense never questioned Tiffany during direct examination about her pretrial
statements to law enforcement officers regarding the incident. Still, those statements
which the prosecutor frequently referenced during cross-examination related to the exact
same subject matter of Tiffany's direct examination—her eyewitness account of the
altercation. The State's efforts at impeaching Tiffany at trial through the use of her
pretrial statements was appropriate cross-examination and well within the scope of her
direct examination.

We find support for our conclusion in State v. Griffin, No. 103,057, 2011 WL
1877698 (Kan. App. 2011) (unpublished opinion). In that case, law enforcement officers
arrested the defendant on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the time
of his arrest, the defendant admitted to officers that he had been driving his vehicle. At
trial, however, the defendant recanted this statement and testified that he had not been
driving the vehicle. During cross-examination, the State questioned the defendant "about
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his failure to tell anyone he was not driving the car until he testified at trial." 2011 WL
1877698, at *4.

On appeal, the defendant argued this question exceeded the scope of the direct
examination. Our court disagreed, stating: "The general subject of [the defendant's]
direct examination was who was driving the car, and the prosecutor's questions on cross-
examination that [the defendant] now complains about were relevant and responsive to
this same general subject." 2011 WL 1877698, at *4.

Similar to Griffin, the prosecutor's cross-examination questions covered the same
subject matter as defense counsel's questions on direct examination. We discern no abuse
of discretion by the trial court.

DENIAL OF A FURTHER DURATIONAL DEPARTURE SENTENCE

Finally, Widmer contends the sentencing court abused its discretion by "not
depart[ing] enough" from the presumptive prison sentence for aggravated battery.

At time of sentencing, Widmer faced the potential of 154 to 172 months'
imprisonment. Widmer moved the sentencing court, however, for a downward durational
departure to 100 months' imprisonment. The trial judge refused to grant such an extensive
departure, but he reduced Widmer's sentence to a 140-month prison term, reasoning:

"[T]he Court is going to find there [are] substantial and compelling reasons [to depart
from the guidelines]. The mitigating factor I see is this is a person who has attacked and
hurt his own family member and the rest of the family is in upheaval over this whole
situation. It sounds like another sister is here who is siding on behalf of [Widmer] who
struck her sister and I don't understand that, how those sides are being taken. It sounds
like a hugely dysfunctional situation going on here.
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"Frankly, I think that based on the violent report that this defendant has that it is
probably good that he's not having much contact with these minor children. Violence
begets violence and it sounds like that is all Mr. Widmer knows."

Appellate courts review the extent of a downward departure sentence for abuse of
discretion and determine whether the departure "is consistent with the purposes of the
guidelines and proportionate to the crime severity and the defendant's criminal history."
State v. Spencer, 291 Kan. 796, 808, 248 P.3d 256 (2011). A judicial action constitutes an
abuse of discretion if (1) no reasonable person would take the view adopted by the trial
court; (2) the action is based on an error of law; or (3) the action is based on an error of
fact. Marshall, 303 Kan. at 445.

Widmer asserts the sentencing court abused its discretion by not granting a further
durational departure because it did not consider other substantial and compelling factors.
Specifically, Widmer notes that he "took responsibility [for his actions] by attempting to
negotiate a plea agreement and by not seeking a dispositional departure to probation." He
also adds that "the altercation occurred partially as a result of substance abuse and
alcohol abuse issues, which [could] be treated as opposed to punished." Finally, Widmer
argues that his family "needed him emotionally and for support" and that this fact ought
to have received greater consideration from the sentencing court.

Our review of the sentencing transcript shows that Widmer raised the exact same
arguments before the sentencing court in seeking a dispositional departure that he does on
appeal. Given that the sentencing court granted a durational departure significantly
reducing Widmer's sentence following the presentation of these arguments and evidence
in support, there is no showing that the judge did not consider these arguments in
granting the departure.

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On the other hand, the sentencing court also heard the prosecutor's arguments in
opposition to any durational departure sentence:

"Judge, I know the Court can read the PSI [presentence investigation report] and
how . . . Mr. Widmer came to be a criminal history A. It goes way back to 2002 if we just
talk about crimes against other people. We have assault in '02, battery in '03, resisting
arrest in '04, battery on a law enforcement officer in '05, domestic battery in '05, resisting
arrest in '07, domestic battery in '08, domestic battery in '08, aggravated battery in 2010,
domestic battery in 2012, domestic battery in 2014, and now we're here on another
aggravated battery."

Given the entire record, we find that Widmer has failed to show an abuse of
discretion by the sentencing court in denying him a further durational departure sentence.

Affirmed.