Opinion ID: 152623
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Sanchez's Maturity, Education, Physical Condition, and Mental Condition

Text: With regard to Sanchez's maturity, education, physical condition, and mental condition, the district court found that, [i]n terms of education, Sanchez has met the requirements for graduation from the Winnebago Public High School, and is of average intelligence in most respects. Sanchez I, 2009 WL 1975074, at . As to Sanchez's mental condition, the district court determined that there exists no evidence to suggest Sanchez is not mentally well. Id. Nevertheless, after reviewing the district court's prior memorandum opinion finding that Sanchez should be treated as an adult, the district court found that the record in this case indicates Sanchez appears to be rather immature and easily influenced by others. Id. Although recognizing that Sanchez demonstrated a capacity to resist pressure to confess when he denied having assaulted the victim at the beginning of the interview, the district court determined that it does not necessarily follow that his will cannot become overborne later in the same interrogation. Id. (citing Haley v. Ohio, 332 U.S. 596, 599-600, 68 S.Ct. 302, 92 L.Ed. 224 (1948) (indicating 15 year old's will overborne after five hours of interrogation); Taylor v. Maddox, 366 F.3d 992, 1015-16 (9th Cir.2004) (stating 16-year-old boy's will overborne after three hours of interrogation)). Accordingly, it found that Sanchez had a below-average ability to resist pressure to confess during the interrogation. Id. (citing United States v. Morris, 491 F.Supp. 226, 229 (S.D.Ga.1980) (confession inadmissible where 22-year-old defendant was immature, yet not unintelligent)). In conducting our totality-of-the-circumstances review, we must not only consider Sanchez's maturity level but also his education, physical condition, and mental condition. See Sheets, 389 F.3d at 779. With regard to these latter three factors, the district court specifically found that Sanchez was of average intelligence and that no evidence exists to suggest Sanchez is not mentally well, nor can we find any evidence that Sanchez is in poor physical condition. Generally, we have concluded that where the defendant possessed at least average intelligence, then his inculpatory statements were not compelled. LeBrun, 363 F.3d at 726 (citing United States v. Gallardo-Marquez, 253 F.3d 1121, 1123-24 (8th Cir.2001) (concluding confession was voluntary where defendant was of average intelligence and had prior contact with law enforcement); Astello, 241 F.3d at 968 (concluding that confession of an 18-year-old was voluntary where he had completed 11th grade and possessed a capacity to understand what was being said during the interview); Simmons, 235 F.3d at 1134 (concluding that confession was voluntary where defendant had full scale I.Q. of 88); Wilson v. Lawrence County, 260 F.3d 946, 949 n. 4, 952-53 (8th Cir.2001) (finding involuntary confession where defendant was mentally retarded, his overall mental abilities were in the bottom two percent of the population, and testimony revealed that he could be talked into anything)). Thus, the district court placed substantial weight upon Sanchez's immaturity in concluding that he could not resist police pressure to confess. But the cases that the district court cites in support of its finding belie this conclusion. This is not a case in which the interrogation lasted several hours, as in Haley and Taylor; instead, it lasted 26 minutes. The shortness of the interrogation, combined with the district court's finding that Sanchez demonstrated his ability to resist pressure to confess at the beginning of the interview, undermine the conclusion that his immaturity led to his confession. Moreover, we note that the district court's prior memorandum order found that Sanchez was able to stand trial as an adult.