Opinion ID: 2331397
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: [¶ 2] On February 2, 1999, the Maine State Police charged McCarthy in Ellsworth District Court with the murder of Ila Boyle. Because he was classified as a maximum-security inmate based on prior conduct, and the Hancock County Jail lacked maximum-security facilities, he was transferred to the Cumberland County Jail's maximum-security unit. [¶ 3] On February 12, McCarthy asked a jail guard to contact the State Police on his behalf, and gave the guard a written request to talk to State Police Detectives Steven Pickering or David Preble, or Officer Jackie Theriault. The guard gave the note to his supervisor. On February 13, McCarthy again asked the guard to contact the State Police, and the guard told him he had given the information to his supervisors. Continuing his efforts to make contact, McCarthy tried to place a collect phone call to the home of Officer Theriault, who was on vacation. While on vacation, she telephoned McCarthy. Theriault testified: Basically he said that he wanted ... to meet with me, to be able to talk to me. He indicated that his attorney did not know that he was calling me. He did not want me to tell his attorney that he was calling. He ... knew he was going to be in jail for sometime because of this and he wanted to be transferred to the Thomaston jail, did not want to stay in Cumberland. And that ... he would give up the whole issue on how Ila Boyle had been murdered. When Theriault said she could not see him for almost a week, he told her he didn't want to wait that long, ... he said, I will talk to either Detective Pickering or Detective Preble, and he also indicated he even would talk to the lady prosecutor at the AG's Office.... I told him I would see what I could do to try to get ... somebody to make contact with him. [¶ 4] Theriault then notified Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese, the prosecutor assigned to the case, of McCarthy's request. Marchese told her it was all right for the police to talk with him under certain conditions which, at the motion hearing, she described as follows: My advice to [Theriault] was first to confirm that the defendant had initiated contact with the state police ... and then I told her that under United States Supreme Court law and under Maine court law that she would be entitled to send someone down to speak with Barry McCarthy provided that he was Mirandaed. I told her to videotape or to have someone videotape the conversation. And I also told her that I wanted him told that this would be against the advice of his lawyer; that he understood that his lawyer would not want him speaking to us. [¶ 5] Marchese acknowledged that Theriault had told her that the defendant wanted to be moved to the Maine State Prison, but that I said to [Theriault], there can be no promises here.... [I]f he wants that promised, we can't talk to him. She said the State Police routinely consult her about decisions when she is assigned to a homicide investigation, and that in homicide cases, important decisions are generally not made without the advice and consultation of somebody from our office. [¶ 6] On February 13, 1999, at the Cumberland County Jail, in a videotaped interview without his counsel present, McCarthy confessed to Maine State Police Detectives Preble and Zamboni that he had murdered Boyle. Preble, who had phoned Marchese for advice immediately before the meeting, received the same warnings as had Theriault. He testified that Marchese informed me that when you go down there, videotape it, audiotape it inside the jail, read Miranda to him, have him sign off on it, inquire of him as to why you're there, per his request, make sure ... he knows that this is against his attorney's wishes.... And then if he still wants to, tell him there is [sic] no promises, no nothing that he's going to Thomaston, going anywhere. And then if he still wants to talk to you, let him talk to you. [¶ 7] At the outset of the videotaped interview, after the Miranda warnings but before McCarthy confessed, he told the two detectives he had initiated contact with the police because he wanted to just come clean about everything. Get this whole mess just put behind me. Asked whether he expected something in return, he replied, Just to be placed in the Maine State Prison ... [f]or holding. Preble told him: I was relayed to state to you, ok, that we cannot guarantee any of that, ok, we cannot make any deals with you for you to talk with us, it is against your rights or anything else. Ok? What I can tell you ok, and if you been around long enough to know how things go on, is, usually when you're arrested and charged with an offense such as murder, ahh, sometimes you are held in the county jail until the court, trial, ok, and most often though, you're held in the Maine State Prison, ok? Your question, and I'm not guaranteeing you anything, I'm just telling you, if you was to talk to us after I tell you this, it's up to you, ahh, most likely it's the call between administrations everywhere, whether or not you go to the prison today, tomorrow or a year from now, I can't tell ya. Ahh, but I think you've been around long enough to know that ahh, usually cooperation gets a little bit of favoritism, but I can not guarantee you that. Ok? Ahh, and I can't tell you anymore than that. I mean, you're going to have to judge it upon your own, you know, your own mind whether or not you think you'll be there next week. Ok? Ahh, and go from there, I mean strings are pulled but we cannot promise you that and I don't want to promise you that, I want to say that you know, or you come back next week and say well, I talked to them because they promised me I'd go to the prison and I didn't end up to the prison, I cannot do that. Ok? You know as well as I do that your chances of going to the prison are probably real good but I cannot promise you that. As long as we understand that. Ahh, you know, are you satisfied with that answer? McCarthy replied, That's fine. Preble then told him that if you talk to us, ... you're going against your attorney's advice. McCarthy replied, Oh, I know that. Preble then asked, [D]o you feel that you're being pressured by us to talk at all? McCarthy replied, No. Preble then told him: To be honest Barry, if you told us you don't want to talk, see you later, we take off, ok, just like that. But, you initiated the call for us to come down here and naturally we're gonna come and check it out ok, and see what's what. But again, and this is taking a little while because I just want to make sure you understand I can't promise you you'll go to prison, you know as well as I do, you may end up there, I'm not sure, but we're here to listen to you. If you want to talk to us, we're going to listen, and I'm sure we'll have some follow-up questions afterwards. Ok? And basically, do you feel like talking with us? McCarthy replied, Yes. [¶ 8] Later, charged with the murder, McCarthy pled not guilty and moved twice to suppress his February 13 confession, claiming it was a legally involuntary statement ... obtained by the Assistant Attorney General in violation of M.B.R. [Maine Bar Rules] Disciplinary Rule 3.6(f) and calling it an unauthorized statement ... obtained in secret by Maine State Police (`MSP') detectives acting on the advice and under the direction of the Attorney General's Office (who all failed to inform the Defense). McCarthy contended the confession was obtained by bending the rules and by coercion . . . . [¶ 9] In September 2001, the Superior Court denied McCarthy's motions to suppress, stating, As the court finds no promises of leniency, and no overt violations of the Maine Bar Rules, the court concludes that the State has carried its burden of proof that McCarthy had confessed voluntarily. McCarthy then entered a conditional plea of guilty; the Superior Court accepted his plea and thereafter imposed a forty-five year term of imprisonment.