Opinion ID: 1394856
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the effectiveness of ramones's waiver of his miranda rights.

Text: State maintains that the validity of Ramones's waiver of his Miranda rights is not dependent on the nature of the charges against him so long as he possesses a full understanding of his constitutional rights. Ramones, while conceding that no police deception or coercion had happened, [4] counters that he did not effectively waive his Miranda rights where he was not informed about the true charges against him. We begin with the principle that: It is well settled that before statements stemming from custodial interrogation may be offered against a criminal defendant at trial, the State must demonstrate that law enforcement officials gave certain warnings and followed specific procedures effective to secure the privilege against self-incrimination guaranteed by both the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and by article I, section 8 of our State constitution. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966); in accord: State v. Paahana, 66 Haw. 500, 502, 666 P.2d 592, 595 (1983); State v. Melemai, 64 Haw. 479, 643 P.2d 541 (1982). If this is not done prior to or in the course of any subsequent interrogation, any statement made by a person in custody cannot be admitted against him at trial. Michigan v. Mosley, 423 U.S. 96, 99-100, 96 S.Ct. 321, 324, 46 L.Ed.2d 313 (1975); State v. Santiago, 53 Haw. 254, 266, 492 P.2d 657, 664 (1971). State v. Uganiza, 68 Haw. ___, ___, 702 P.2d 1352, 1354 (1985) (footnote omitted). No dispute exists that Det. Kajiue adhered to the procedural safeguards and correctly warned Ramones of the right to remain silent, that any statement made could be used against him, the right to counsel, and the right to have an attorney present during interrogation. State v. Ikaika, 67 Haw. 563, 698 P.2d 281 (1985); State v. Russo, 67 Haw. 126, 681 P.2d 553 (1984), appeal after remand, 69 Haw. ___, 734 P.2d 156 (1987); see note 4, supra. The critical question is thus whether Miranda warnings also require the police to apprise criminal suspects of the specific offense which they might be charged with. In other words, is Ramones's waiver of Miranda rights any less effective if he is charged with a different offense after the interrogation? We conclude that the trial court mistakenly reasoned that a waiver of Miranda rights cannot be effective if the defendant is charged with a different offense than the one he is interrogated for. We agree with the United States Supreme Court's recent decision of Colorado v. Spring, 479 U.S. ___, 107 S.Ct. 851, 93 L.Ed.2d 954 (1987), that a suspect's awareness of all the possible subjects of the police questioning is not relevant to determine whether the suspect voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently waived his Miranda rights. In Colorado, federal agents arrested the defendant in Missouri for selling stolen weapons, administered the Miranda rights warnings, obtained a written waiver of Miranda rights, and then interrogated him about a Colorado murder (although defendant had not been told this earlier) plus the weapons charge. The defendant denied involvement in the murder although admitting shooting another person. But in a later interview with Colorado police, the defendant was again given his Miranda rights, waived those rights, and confessed complicity in the murder. Id. at ___, ___, 107 S.Ct. at 853-54, 93 L.Ed.2d at 961-62. The United States Supreme Court ruled the waiver valid: There is no doubt that Spring's decision to waive his Fifth Amendment privilege was voluntary. He alleges no coercion of a confession by physical violence or other deliberate means calculated to break [his] will, Oregon v. Elstad, 470 U.S. 298, 312, 105 S.Ct. 1285, 1295, 84 L.Ed.2d 222 (1985), and the trial court found none. His allegation that the police failed to supply him with certain information does not relate to any of the traditional indicia of coercion: the duration and conditions of detention..., the manifest attitude of the police toward him, his physical and mental state, the diverse pressures which sap or sustain his powers of resistance and selfcontrol. Culombe v. Connecticut, 367 U.S. 568, 602, 81 S.Ct. 1860, 1879, 6 L.Ed.2d 1037 (1961) (opinion of Frankfurter, J.). Absent evidence that Spring's will [was] overborne and his capacity for self-determination critically impaired because of coercive police conduct, ibid.; see Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. ___, ___, 107 S.Ct. 515, ___, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986), his waiver of his Fifth Amendment privilege was voluntary under this Court's decision in Miranda. There also is no doubt that Spring's waiver of his Fifth Amendment privilege was knowingly and intelligently made: that is, that Spring understood that he had the right to remain silent and that anything he said could be used as evidence against him. The Constitution does not require that a criminal suspect know and understand every possible consequence of a waiver of the Fifth Amendment privilege. Moran v. Burbine, supra, 475 U.S. [412] at 421-22, 106 S.Ct. [1135] at 1141, 89 L.Ed.2d 410 [(1986)]; Oregon v. Elstad, supra, 470 U.S. at 316-317, 105 S.Ct. at 1298, 84 L.Ed.2d 222. Id. at ___, 107 S.Ct. at 857, 93 L.Ed.2d at 965-66 (emphasis added). The constitutional privilege against self-incrimination protects the individual from being forced to produce inculpatory evidence, State v. Narvaez, 68 Haw. ___, ___, 722 P.2d 1036, 1039 (1986), but affords no aegis against the consequences of the individual's foolish failure to apprehend all the effects of a valid waiver of Miranda rights. Ramones was arrested for auto theft but eventually charged with the Unauthorized Control of a Propelled Vehicle. The two offenses carry the same penalty and are closely related. See note 3, supra. Miranda warnings as to one offense provided sufficient notice as to potential criminal liability for the other offense. Furthermore, Miranda warnings specifically provide that any statement Ramones made may be used as evidence against him at trial. Colorado, 479 U.S. at ___, 107 S.Ct. at 858, 93 L.Ed.2d at 967. [5] Here, where Ramones was adequately warned of his Miranda rights yet chose to waive them, no constitutional violation took place. The trial court should not have suppressed the statement which Ramones had freely made.