Opinion ID: 888972
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Facts and Arguments Related to Morrisey's Motion to Suppress

Text: ¶ 15 As noted, while en route to Morrisey's Colorado residence to execute the search warrants, Sergeant Martinez noticed Morrisey driving by in a pickup in the opposite direction. Martinez, who was driving a marked squad car, turned around and initiated a traffic stop using his overhead lights. Sergeant Cameron and Detective Schaffer were in the squad car with Martinez at the time. Morrisey pulled over, and Martinez (who was in full uniform) instructed Morrisey to exit the vehicle. Cameron and Schaffer (who were in plain clothes but displaying their badges and guns) then approached Morrisey, identified themselves as law enforcement officers from Great Falls, and advised him of the search warrants. Cameron asked Morrisey if he had any weapons, and Morrisey replied that he had a loaded .38-caliber revolver in the pickup. Cameron stated that he would need to secure the weapon and that he would also be taking control of the pickup. Cameron took Morrisey's keys and asked him to return with them to his residence. Morrisey agreed to do so, and the officers then placed him in the caged back seat of Martinez's squad car for transport. Cameron followed in Morrisey's pickup. At no point during his time with the detectives that day was Morrisey advised that he was free to leave. ¶ 16 Approximately eight to ten law enforcement officers were present at Morrisey's residence to conduct the search of his house and cars. After arriving, Cameron activated a microcassette recorder, served Morrisey with the search warrants, and told him that [t]his is probably going to take us at least two days. Cameron then read Morrisey his Miranda rights. When Cameron first stated, You have the right to remain silent, Morrisey interjected, Yeah, I will. Likewise, when Cameron stated, Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, Morrisey replied, I ain't saying nothing. Cameron next informed Morrisey: You have the right to an attorney. One will be appointed to [sic] you prior to any questioning if you desire. If you wish to answer questions now without an attorney, you have the right to stop answering at any time. Do you understand that, Mr. Morrisey? Morrisey responded, Yes, got it. ¶ 17 Following this, the detectives conversed with and questioned Morrisey for the next three to four hours. Morrisey contends that in so doing, the detectives infringed his right to remain silent. In addition, he argues that through continued prodding and improper use of their influence, the detectives lured him into speaking with them and that his statements, therefore, were not made voluntarily. Given these arguments, it is necessary to detail relevant portions of the dialogue between Morrisey and the detectives. ¶ 18 After giving the Miranda warnings, Cameron informed Morrisey that his house was in the officers' control. Cameron asked Morrisey where the Impala and Camaro were, requested that Morrisey provide the keys to the house and cars, and asked which key opened which door. Cameron then proceeded with the search and left Morrisey with Detectives Schaffer and Bellusci, at which point the following discussion ensued: Detective [1] : Okaywe sure appreciate your cooperation. Morrisey: Well, I've got nothing to hide. Detective: Well that's excellent Morrisey: I do have nothing to hide. Detective: Good. You know why we're here Morrisey: I got a feeling. Detective: Okay Morrisey: I got a feelingyes. Detective: It's in reference to the Dolana Clark investigation. Morrisey: I have a feeling. I have nothing to hide. Detective: And this is one of those Morrisey: Lower and raise itit acts up a little bit, okay? All right. There's the cars in there, all right Detective: My job, Bill, is two-fold, okay? I'm assigned to this case and what I want to do isthere's a million that were talked to back in 1988about this and you were one of the people that were talked to about that, too Morrisey: Yes. Detective: And we want to get it cleared upwe want to get this case done. Part of my jobis totry to hold the person responsible who did this. Morrisey: Yes. Detective: The other part of my job is to clear those that are not. Morrisey: All right. Detective: And that's one of the reasons we're here is tois to Morrisey: Arrest Detective: Get this taken care ofhopefully sit down, visit with you and see where we cansee if we can get this resolved. Morrisey: All right. Detective: Fair enough? Morrisey: That is fair. I got no complaints. ¶ 19 At this point, the conversation turned to other topics. In summary, Morrisey stated he wanted to be present in the house during the search, but the detectives would not allow that. When he expressed concern that an officer might steal something, the detectives explained that the officers would be taking photographs first and that any evidence seized would be documented. Morrisey inquired whether they had done this to Dolana's father also, and the detectives told him they were talking to everybody. They asked Morrisey whether he had any other loaded weapons, and he responded that he did, noting that there were bears and mountain lions in the area. He told them about an incident in which a bear had caused damage to his house. He also informed them that he had a pet cat, which he insisted was not Siamese, noting that he had a witness to where I got it when I was in Illinois. He asked them not to let the cat outside. An officer asked to use the phone, and Morrisey told him there was one in the laundry room. The detectives and Morrisey also discussed the weather, when he moved to the area, why he had decided to settle in that part of Colorado, whether he was active in church, where he does his banking, how far his property line extended, and why he did not have a computer or Internet access. ¶ 20 Schaffer and Bellusci then reiterated that they wanted to sit down and just visit with you and get a formal statement. They put Morrisey in an unmarked police car and proposed driving to the local sheriff's office, but Morrisey indicated that he would not feel comfortable talking there, so they drove to a local café instead. On the way there, Morrisey remarked on where he buys his gas and groceries, why he was unmarried, and the experiences he had with the police during the 1988 investigation. Notably, one of the detectives commented that it looks to me like you were a bit traumatized by the police before. He told Morrisey, I want you to relax. They discussed several other topics (an old coal mine they passed on the highway, Morrisey's encounters with bears on his property, the price of gas), and then one of the detectives noted that he had read Morrisey's 1988 statement to the police and felt that Morrisey had been really protective of folks around you. He asked Morrisey to be neutral this time. He also mentioned that the investigators were not going to leave any stone unturned, to which Morrisey replied, I have nothing to hide. The conversation then returned to other topics. ¶ 21 Morrisey, Schaffer, and Bellusci arrived at the café, but the conditions there were not conducive to discussing Dolana's homicide. So, they walked to a nearby picnic table, but it began to rain. Thus, they returned to the police car. At the outset of the formal interview, the following exchange occurred: Detective: Let's get rollingyou know Dolana Clark. Morrisey: Yes I did know her. Detective: Okay and you know that we're up here investigatingthe homicide of Dolana Clark. Morrisey: I do know. Detective: You know that you have been a suspect listed in that case. Morrisey: Evidently I have been. Detective: You've been advised of your rights? Morrisey: Yes. Detective: Okay and you're willing to talk to us about it. Morrisey: I will talk. ¶ 22 During the interrogation, Morrisey stated initially that he did not own a .22-caliber rifle; however, he later admitted that he did own a .22 when he was living in Great Falls, but he claimed that he had sold it a long time ago at a flea market in Illinois. Then, after further questioning, he stated that he did not sell the gun, but rather threw it off a bridge into the Mississippi River. Ultimately, however, Morrisey acknowledged that he had the gun until a couple of weeks earlier when he learned through a friend that the police had renewed their investigation into Dolana's death and were asking about small-caliber guns. He explained that he then cleaned and dismantled the rifle, threw parts of it in a trash dumpster, and buried the barrel under some rocks in the mountains behind his house. Morrisey directed the detectives to the location of the barrel. When they further inquired about the other pieces of the rifle, Morrisey stated that you'll never find them because he had thrown them all along the highway. Throughout the interview, Morrisey repeatedly insisted that he did not kill Dolana. He also expressed his belief that Dolana's father had done so. ¶ 23 In his motion to suppress, Morrisey argued that the failure of the police to immediately terminate the interview after he told Cameron I ain't saying nothing violated his right to remain silent under Miranda, as interpreted in Michigan v. Mosley, 423 U.S. 96, 96 S.Ct. 321, 46 L.Ed.2d 313 (1975) (requiring the exclusion of statements obtained during a custodial interrogation if the police did not scrupulously honor the suspect's right to cut off questioning). He also argued that the detectives questioned him relentlessly and intimidated him until they overcame his resistance and he reluctantly agreed to speak with them. On appeal, Morrisey again contends that under Mosley, the officers should have ceased their interrogation once Cameron first advised Morrisey of his right to remain silent and Morrisey stated that he was not saying anything. He also claims his statements were not made voluntarily, but were the product of continued prodding and improper use of the detectives' influence and interrogation techniques. ¶ 24 In response to Morrisey's motion, the State argued that he was not in custody when he made his statements and that, in any event, the detectives were free to continue questioning him because he did not invoke his right to counsel. The State also argued that Morrisey was not subjected to police coercion or intimidation and that it could be inferred from his words and actions that he waived his right to be silent and voluntarily answered questions. The State reiterates this argument on appeal. In addition, the State contends that Morrisey did not validly invoke his right to remain silent in the first place, and even if he did, this does not mean that questioning could never be resumed.