Opinion ID: 1746854
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Warnings Given to Powell

Text: The Miranda warnings given to Powell were: You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer before answering any of our questions. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed for you without cost and before any questioning. You have the right to use any of these rights at any time you want during this interview. Powell, 969 So.2d at 1064 (emphasis added). The inquiry is whether the failure to clearly inform the defendant of the right to the presence of counsel during custodial interrogation violates the principles espoused in Miranda. The warnings given must be sufficient to convey the rights to a person of ordinary intelligence and common understanding. See Missouri v. Seibert, 542 U.S. 600, 615-16, 124 S.Ct. 2601, 159 L.Ed.2d 643 (2004) (noting that a reasonable person in the suspect's shoes could have seen the questioning as a new and distinct experience). The State contends that the totality of the Miranda warnings read to Powell touched the bases required by Miranda and did not deprive him of any information essential to his ability to knowingly waive his privilege against self-incrimination. In contrast, Powell contends that the warnings place a limit on an unlimited right to consult counsel before, during, and after interrogation. We hold that Powell was not clearly informed of his right to have counsel present during questioning. Under article I, section 9 of the Florida Constitution, as interpreted in Traylor v. State , a defendant has a right to lawyer's help, that is, the right to consult with a lawyer before being interrogated and to have the lawyer present during interrogation. Accord Ramirez, 739 So.2d at 573 (finding suspects must be informed that they have a right to an attorney during questioning); Sapp, 690 So.2d at 583-84 (same). The standard police department Miranda form used during the interrogation of Powell did not expressly indicate that he had the right to have an attorney present during questioning. Powell was told he had the right to talk with a lawyer before questioning and that he could use that right at any time during the interview. The right he could use during the interview was the right he was told he hadto talk with a lawyer before answering questions. This is not the functional equivalent of having the lawyer present with you during questioning. As stated in Miranda, the right to have counsel present at the interrogation is indispensable to the protection of the Fifth Amendment privilege. Thus, the need for counsel to protect the Fifth Amendment privilege comprehends not merely a right to consult with counsel prior to questioning, but also to have counsel present during any questioning. Miranda, 384 U.S. at 469-70, 86 S.Ct. 1602. The State contends that since the Miranda decision, the United States Supreme Court has held that Miranda did not require of or impose upon law enforcement a rigid and precise formulation of the warnings to be given to a criminal defendant. In Anderson, we also noted that there is no talismanic fashion in which they must be read or a prescribed formula that they must follow, as long as the warnings are not misleading.  863 So.2d at 182 (emphasis added). In this case the warning was misleading. The warning said  before answering any questions. The before questioning warning suggests to a reasonable person in the suspect's shoes that he or she can only consult with an attorney before questioning; there is nothing in that statement that suggests the attorney can be present during the actual questioning. The State further contends that the final warning, You have the right to use any of these rights at any time you want during this interview, reasonably informed Powell of the right to have an attorney present during the interrogation. The Second District disagreed and found that language could not cure the deficiency because Powell was never unequivocally informed that he had the right to have an attorney present at all times during his custodial interrogation. See Powell, 969 So.2d at 1067. We agree with the Second District and hold that Powell should have been clearly informed of his right to the presence of counsel during the custodial interrogation. The catch-all language did not effectively convey to Powell his right to the presence of counsel before and during police questioning. This last sentence could not effectively convey a right the defendant was never told he had. In other words, how can a defendant exercise at any time during an interrogation a right he did not know existed? The catch-all phrase did not supply the missing warning of the right to have counsel present during police questioning because a right that has never been expressed cannot be reiterated. Lastly the State argues that Powell had actual knowledge of his rights based on his prior dealings with law enforcement. However, in Miranda the Court disapproved of a case-by-case inquiry into whether or not a suspect was aware of the unarticulated right. The Court said: The Fifth Amendment privilege is so fundamental to our system of constitutional rule and the expedient of giving an adequate warning as to the availability of the privilege so simple, we will not pause to inquire in individual cases whether the defendant was aware of his rights without a warning being given. Assessments of the knowledge the defendant possessed, based on information as to his age, education, intelligence, or prior contact with authorities, can never be more than speculation; a warning is a clearcut fact. More important, whatever the background of the person interrogated, a warning at the time of the interrogation is indispensable to overcome its pressures and to insure that the individual knows he is free to exercise the privilege at that point in time. 384 U.S. at 468-69, 86 S.Ct. 1602 (footnote omitted). Powell's prior dealings with law enforcement cannot substitute for adequate Miranda warnings.