Opinion ID: 151087
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Officer Major's Testimony

Text: Officer Major testified that after he examined the crime scene and took statements from the victims, he took Leak into custody and interviewed him. Leak identified Hall as his accomplice. Officer Major brought Hall to the police station, read him his state juvenile rights and adult Miranda rights, and questioned him. Hall's father was waiting outside the interview room, but Officer Major did not bring him in because Hall did not ask for him, and it is the juvenile's right to have a parent present during questioning, not the father's: If Darryl doesn't ask for his father, his father can ask all day long . . . . It's the juvenile or the defendant's right[,] [s]o Darryl has to physically ask for his father. And at that time I would have brought his father in . . . . [H]e did not ask for his father. Because had he asked for his father, I would have told his father to come. All he had to do was ask for his father. The audiotape of Hall's confession was played for the jury. At the beginning of his taped statement, Hall acknowledges that Officer Major already read him both his state juvenile rights and his adult Miranda rights, that he signed the waiver forms, and that he understood his rights. Then on the audiotape, Officer Major again reads Hall out loud his state juvenile rights, telling Hall specifically that he had the right to communicate with a parent or guardian before questioning. Hall states that he understands these rights and that he signed the waiver form. On the audiotape, Officer Major then reads Hall out loud his adult Miranda rights. Hall states that he understands these rights and that he signed the waiver form. On the audiotape Hall then describes the crimes. Hall saw Leak on October 15, 1999 at around 4:00 p.m., and Hall told Leak that he had to rob the Little People's Workshop in order to get into a gang and because Hall needed the money to go to the homecoming dance that night. Hall and Leak went to the Little People's Workshop. Hall told Leak to go to the front of the building and that Hall would go to the back in order to look out. Before the robbery, Hall gave Leak two guns Hall had gotten about two months earlier from a friend named Reginald Powell. Leak went into the day care center two or three times and stayed in the center approximately thirty minutes each time. While Leak was robbing the day care center, Hall walked into the center twice. The first time, Hall only stepped into the center and then exited, but the second time he stayed for about five minutes, coming approximately three or four feet into the center. During that time, Hall saw Leak tell Franklin to get on the ground and Franklin crying as Leak stood over her. Hall did not see Leak rape Franklin. Hall stated that he exited the center and did not come back in after that point. Hall said that he heard Leak yelling at people to be quiet and get down, and telling Franklin to shut up. Hall said that he did not know how many people were actually inside the center, but he thought maybe 15 or 20. However, Hall saw only Leak and Franklin and a few others when he entered the center. At one point, Hall stated that Leak called Hall by his first name, and Hall, in response, said the name Joseph Grady and stated that he lived on Troy Highway to conceal his identity. During the taped confession, Hall also confirmed to Officer Major that Leak gave him the keys to Franklin's car, and Hall went into Franklin's car, looked around, and then closed the door to the car and returned to the day care center. Hall also stated that he knew Franklin through John Cartas, that he and Franklin were friends and he knew her well. [14] Hall stated that after committing the crimes, Leak ran out the back door of the center and gave Hall some of the money he had stolen, and they both then ran toward their homes. Hall later met back up with Leak and gave the money back to Leak. After running away from the center, Leak gave Hall two checks. Hall initially told the officers that he had cashed checks he got from Leak at a Winn Dixie but later stated that he ripped the checks into small pieces and threw them into some water in a drainage ditch behind a Winn Dixie. During his taped confession, Hall also stated that he told Leak to kill the people in the day care center because they might later be witnesses against Leak and Hall. [15] Hall did not know why Leak did not kill the people in the center. Hall denied telling Leak to rape the women in the center. Hall told the officers where he thought the two guns were located, one being near the doghouse at Leak's house, and one possibly by a ditch near Hall's house. According to Officer Major, the officers searched the drainage areas near Hall's house as well as the area near Leak's house and did not find the guns. Officer Major admitted there were some inconsistencies between Defendant Hall's confession and the victims' statements. Officer Major attributed the inconsistencies to Hall and Leak perceiving things differently. Officer Major stated that Hall originally said there were 20 or 30 people in the Little People's Workshop, but when pressed on this point Hall said he did not really know how many people were there.