RUCKER, J.
We grant transfer in this case to explore whether and to what extent a defendant’s race-based Batson claim may be reviewed on appeal where at trial the defendant failed to rebut the State’s proffered race-neutral reason for striking a black venireperson.
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A defendant’s race-based Batson claim involves a three-step process. At the first stage the burden is low, requiring that the defendant only show circumstances raising an inference that discrimination occurred. See Johnson v. California, 545 U.S. 162, 170 (2005). This is commonly referred to as a “prima facie” showing. In this case the record shows that in the first round of voir dire, the State used its peremptory challenges to strike the only three African Americans on the venire panel. Over Addison’s objection, the State acknowledged “that there is a prima facie case of a pattern on the State’s part.” Tr. at 90. The State’s acknowledgment was certainly appropriate. Although the removal of some African American jurors by the use of peremptory challenges does not, by itself, raise an inference of racial discrimination, see Kent v. State, 675 N.E.2d 332, 340 (Ind. 1996), the removal of “’the only . . . African American juror that could have served on the petit jury’ does ‘raise an inference that the juror was excluded on the basis of race.’” . . . .
At the second stage, if the first stage showing has been satisfied, then the burden shifts to the prosecution to “offer a race-neutral basis for striking the juror in question.” Snyder, 552 U.S. at 477 (quoting Miller-El v. Dretke, 545 U.S. 231, 277 (2005) (Thomas, J., dissenting)). “Unless a discriminatory intent is inherent in the prosecutor’s explanation, the reason offered will be deemed race neutral.” Purkett v. Elem, 514 U.S. 765, 768 (1995) (per curiam) (quoting Hernandez, 500 U.S. at 360). Although the race-neutral reason must be more than a mere denial of improper motive, the reason need not be particularly “persuasive, or even plausible.” Id.
Here, the State explained that it exercised its peremptory strike of venireperson Turner because, according to the State, Turner essentially said that he would simply follow the recommendation of the health care professionals on the question of the insanity defense. This of course was of particular concern to the State because both doctors would later testify that Addison was insane at the time of the offense. And this Court has noted that expert opinion is not dispositive on the question of insanity. See Thompson v. State, 804 N.E.2d 1146, 1150 (Ind. 2004) (affirming defendant’s conviction of guilty but mentally ill notwithstanding that all the experts who examined the defendant were of the opinion that defendant was insane at the time of the crime). Accord Barany v. State, 658 N.E.2d 60, 63 (Ind. 1995) (noting that the trier of fact is free to disregard the unanimous testimony of experts and rely on conflicting testimony of lay witnesses). An explanation that a venireperson has expressed an unwillingness to be fair to one side or another is facially race-neutral. See Highler v. State, 854 N.E.2d 823, 827-28 (Ind. 2006) (declaring that prosecutor’s explanation that statements juror made in his questionnaire and during voir dire raised questions about juror’s ability “to be fair and impartial to the State” was facially race-neutral). In sum, the State carried its burden of offering a race-neutral reason for striking venireperson Turner.
At the third and last stage of a Batson inquiry, “in light of the parties’ submissions, the trial court must determine whether the defendant has shown purposeful discrimination.” Snyder, 552 U.S. at 477 (quoting Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 277 (Thomas, J., dissenting). Accord Jeter v. State, 888 N.E.2d 1257, 1263 (Ind. 2008). Although the burden of persuasion on a Batson challenge rests with the party opposing the strike, Jeter, 888 N.E.2d at 1264, the third step – determination of discrimination – is the “duty” of the trial judge. See Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 239 (quoting Batson, 476 U.S. at 98); Jeter, 888 N.E.2d at 1264. The trial court evaluates the persuasiveness of the step two justification at the third step. It is then that “implausible or fantastic justifications may (and probably will) be found to be pretexts for purposeful discrimination.” Purkett, 514 U.S. at 768. The issue is whether the trial court finds the prosecutor’s race-neutral explanation credible. “[T]he rule in Batson provides an opportunity to the prosecutor to give the reason for striking the juror, and it requires the judge to assess the plausibility of that reason in light of all evidence with a bearing on it.” Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 251-52 (citations omitted). Also, at the third stage, the defendant may offer additional evidence to demonstrate that the proffered justification was pretextual.
Here, in response to the State’s explanation, Addison essentially complained that he did not think the explanation was race-neutral. But he offered nothing to substantiate his position other than to say that the State did not “follow-up” on its questioning of Turner. Tr. at 92. And Addison did not explore how or why failing to “follow-up” was evidence of pretext. However, it is not at all clear that the trial court properly discharged its third-stage duty of determining whether Addison had shown purposeful discrimination. For example the trial court did not indicate whether or why it found the State’s proffered explanation credible. Although at least one federal circuit court has declared “federal law has never required explicit fact-findings following a Batson challenge, especially where a prima facie case is acknowledged and the prosecution presents specific nondiscriminatory reasons on the record,” Stenhouse v. Hobbs, 631 F.3d 888, 893 (8th Cir. 2011) (quoting Smulls v. Roper, 535 F.3d 853, 860 (8th Cir. 2008) (en banc)), nonetheless by simply declaring, without more, that the State “articulated race neutral reasons for striking all three jurors,” Tr. at 93-94, the trial court appears to have combined stages two and three of the Batson inquiry. This was incorrect. “The analytical structure established by Batson cannot operate properly if the second and third steps are conflated.” United States v. Rutledge, 648 F.3d 555, 559 (7th Cir. 2011) (remanding cause to the trial court for an explicit step-three credibility finding to support its decision denying a Batson challenge). In any event other than essentially contending that the State’s explanation was pretextual Addison offered the trial court no reason to cast doubt on the State’s explanations for the strike. And without any specific objections or further evidence from Addison, the trial court accepted the State‟s reasons for striking juror Turner as legitimate and race-neutral.
On appeal however Addison advances a slightly different claim. He contends that the State’s explanation for striking juror Turner was pretextual because, according to Addison, the voir dire record in this case shows that non-minority venirepersons gave the same or similar answers as those given by Turner and they were not stricken.
It is certainly true that “[i]f a prosecutor’s proffered reason for striking a black panelist applies just as well to an otherwise-similar nonblack who is permitted to serve, that is evidence tending to prove purposeful discrimination to be considered at Batson’s third step.” Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 241. But how should we treat a defendant’s appellate claim in this regard where the defendant offered no substantive argument to the trial court as to why the State’s proffered reason for striking a black panelist is pretextual?
Our appellate courts have not been presented with this precise question. There is of course ample authority for the proposition that “a defendant may not argue one ground for objection at trial and then raise new grounds on appeal.” . . . In such circumstances the issue is waived. Gill, 730 N.E.2d at 711. And to be sure both this Court and the Court of Appeals have ruled that Batson challenges were waived given the facts in a particular case. . . . But in this case the defendant did make a specific Batson objection, and there is a trial record of the voir dire.
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Rather than treating this failure as a waiver of Addison’s Batson claim and thus forfeited for appellate consideration, we align ourselves with those jurisdictions that examine such claims on appeal, albeit under a more rigorous standard of review. Our fundamental error doctrine is equal to the task. . . . .
D. Analysis
In proffering its race-neutral reason for excluding juror Turner, the State contended that in response to a question concerning the insanity defense Turner replied that he was “going to go by what the professionals say” and “when asked what else would contribute to making his decision, he had trouble articulating anything other than, well, I’ll just go by whatever the professionals say.” Tr. at 91. According to the State “[a]ll he did was to articulate is, ‘Well, I’d just go with the doctors. I’d just go with the doctors.’” Tr. at 93. In point of fact this is not an accurate characterization of Turner’s voir dire response. The record shows that Turner was first examined by the State. The following exchange occurred:
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: I‟m sorry, Mr. Turner, your questionnaire didn’t come through, I can barely read the writing. I think it’s the pen. How are you currently employed, sir?
[Venireperson Turner]: I work with GPC Parts Company.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: Oh, a parts company, okay.
[Venireperson Turner]: Yes.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: Someone close to you has been charged with a crime and committed a crime; is that correct?
[Venireperson Turner]: No. I got the wrong check box or something?
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: I see something here for forgery is what’s listed.
[Venireperson Turner]: No.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: Okay. Maybe I have the wrong questionnaire here.
[Venireperson Turner]: I think you’re asking the wrong question.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: I apologize. No, the one I’ve got here, I don’t think it‟s him.
[Second Deputy Prosecutor]: That’s okay. Why don’t you ask him individually.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: All right. Anything that we’ve discussed here that might affect your ability to sit here today?
[Venireperson Turner]: No. I‟m totally okay.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: No. Ready to go, listen, and make judgments accordingly?
[Venireperson Turner]: Yes, sir.
[Lead Deputy Prosecutor]: All right. Well, thank you very much for your time. I’m going to pass the jury for cross at this time, Your Honor.
Tr. at 62-63. Turner was the final juror in the first group of venirepersons questioned by the State. The record shows that although questioning individually all fourteen venirepersons, the State only briefly touched upon the issue of the insanity defense, and then with only two venirepersons. See Tr. at 42-45. 15
The defense then began its questioning, and individually questioned each venireperson concerning his or her thoughts and opinions about the insanity defense. Turner was the ninth person to be so questioned. The following exchange occurred.
[Defense Counsel]: Okay Mr. Turner, you’ve been awful quiet up there, haven’t – well, let me pick on you a little bit, what do you think about it?
[Venireperson Turner]: Oh, I don’t know.
[Defense Counsel]: You think it’s selling you a bunch of hogwash?
[Venireperson Turner]: Huh – no, it’s not, no, it’s not for me to say, you know, who’s – who’s sane and who’s not. I guess you just would have to go by what the professionals say and kind of interpret all the facts and take it all in. It’s a whole lot to take in.
. . .
[Defense Counsel]: Would you agree that it would be important to look at the facts surrounding the crime?
[Venireperson Turner]: Yes.
[Defense Counsel]: Okay. And a little bit about my client’s history of mental illness. Do you think that would be important?
[Venireperson Turner]: Uhm-hmm.
Tr. at 77-78 (emphasis added).
As can be seen by the foregoing exchange, it is true that Turner did say in part that he would “go by what the professionals say.” But contrary to the State’s assertion, this was not the only consideration that Turner indicated he would take into account. “I guess you just would have to go by what the professionals say and kind of interpret all the facts and take it all in” including the facts surrounding the crime and information about the defendant’s history of mental illness. Tr. at 78. And the State is incorrect in its assertion that Turner responded, “Well, I’d just go with the doctors. I’d just go with the doctors.” This mischaracterization of Turner’s voir dire testimony is troubling and undermines the State’s proffered race-neutral reason for the strike. See Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 244. In addition, although the State initially had passed the venire for defense questioning, once Turner made statements the State contends were of concern, the State made no effort to examine him further. And this is so in spite of the trial court advising the parties it would allow flexibility concerning the usual time limit allowed for voir dire because, “the issue of insanity might develop a lot of side issues.” Tr. at 9. As the Supreme Court has observed, “’[t]he State’s failure to engage in any meaningful voir dire examination on a subject the State alleges it is concerned about is evidence suggesting that the explanation is a sham and a pretext for discrimination.’” Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 246 (quoting Ex parte Travis, 776 So. 2d 874, 881 (Ala. 2000)).
Just as important, the record supports Addison’s contention that non-African American venirepersons on the same panel on which juror Turner served gave answers strikingly similar to those given by Turner and were not peremptorily challenged. . . . .
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We see little distinction between the responses given by venirepersons Copelen and Weber and those given by venireperson Turner. Although phrasing their responses slightly differently [footnote omitted] all three noted the importance of expert witness testimony on the question of insanity, and all three agreed that additional evidence should be considered as well. But Turner was stricken and Copelen and Weber were not. In essence the same rationale offered by the State to remove Turner applied equally to jurors Copelen and Weber. We reiterate the Supreme Court’s admonition, “If a prosecutor’s proffered reason for striking a black panelist applies just as well to an otherwise-similar nonblack who is permitted to serve, that is evidence tending to prove purposeful discrimination to be considered at Batson’s third step.” Miller-El, 545 U.S. at 241. We recognize, as has the Supreme Court, that “a retrospective comparison of jurors based on a cold appellate record may be very misleading when alleged similarities were not raised at trial. In that situation, an appellate court must be mindful that an exploration of the alleged similarities at the time of trial might have shown that the jurors in question were not really comparable.” Snyder, 552 U.S. at 483.
Here, however, not only does an examination of the record show that the State failed to strike apparently similarly situated non-black venirepersons, but also the State mischaracterized Turner’s voir dire testimony when offering its race-neutral reason for striking him from the panel and failed to engage Turner in any meaningful voir dire examination on the issue of his reliance on expert witness testimony. Considered individually or in isolation, these factors likely would not be sufficient under our fundamental error standard of review to undermine the State’s claim that its reason for striking Turner was race-neutral. As we have noted, the fundamental error exception is “extremely narrow, and applies only when the error constitutes a blatant violation of basic principles, the harm or potential for harm is substantial, and the resulting error denies the defendant fundamental due process.” . . . .
The State’s mischaracterization of Turner’s voir dire testimony, its failure to engage Turner in any meaningful voir dire examination to explore his alleged undue reliance on the testimony of professionals, and the comparative juror analysis, when taken collectively, leave us with the firm impression that the State’s proffered explanation for striking venireperson Turner was a mere pretext based on race, making a fair trial impossible. “Peremptory challenges based on race . . . require a retrial.” Highler, 854 N.E.2d at 826. [Footnote omitted.]
Shepard, C.J., and Dickson, Sullivan and David, JJ., concur.