Opinion ID: 566790
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Voluntariness of Tejada's Confession

Text: 51 Tejada argues that his sworn, tape-recorded statement was involuntary and, as such, should have been suppressed by the trial court. The State responds that the statement was voluntary and was properly admitted into evidence. We agree with the State. 52 Although the voluntariness of a confession is not an issue of fact that is entitled to a presumption of correctness under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2254(d) (because the ultimate issue of voluntariness is a legal question requiring independent consideration in a federal habeas proceeding), the state court's findings of fact regarding voluntariness are accorded credit. See Miller v. Fenton, 474 U.S. 104, 115, 117, 106 S.Ct. 445, 452, 453, 88 L.Ed.2d 405 (1985). One issue of fact on which the state court's finding is entitled to credit is credibility. When it appears that a trial court would have granted the relief sought if it had believed the defendant's testimony, then its failure to grant relief was tantamount to an express finding against the credibility of the defendant. See Marshall v. Lonberger, 459 U.S. 422, 433, 103 S.Ct. 843, 850, 74 L.Ed.2d 646 (1983). In the instant case, the state court implicitly found that Tejada's testimony was not credible by denying his motion to suppress the statement. After reviewing the record, we agree with the district court that there was ample support for this finding.