Steven McManus v. Mary Vann, Superintendent, Altona Correctional Facility
Whether the cumulative effect of the prosecutor continually referencing matters not in evidence; her vouching for her witnesses; her acting as an unsworn witness (adding her personal opinions), her attempting to shift the burden of proof to the defendant; her attacking the defense counsel rather than the evidence; and her mischaracterizing the evidence, deprived the petitioner of a fair trial?
Whether the prosecutor, knowing the sensative nature of the charges presented should have taken special care not to play on the jury's emotions; and whether her incessant use (64 times) of improper comments-prosecutorial misconduct-overwhelmed the jury and deprived the petitioner of a fair trial given the inflammatory nature of the charges in this case?
Whether the cumulative effect of the prosecutor's actions deprived the petitioner of a fair trial?