Opinion ID: 1813641
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: police deception or misrepresentation

Text: This Court and other courts have held that not all deception will invalidate a confession. Denmark v. State, 95 Fla. 757, 116 So. 757, 762 (1928); see also Hoffa v. United States, 385 U.S. 293, 301-02, 87 S.Ct. 408, 17 L.Ed.2d 374 (1966) (holding that defendant's statements made to an informant were admissible even though the informant lied about his identity); Brown v. Brierley, 438 F.2d 954, 955-57, 959 (3d Cir.1971) (holding a consent voluntary when a defendant, who had been warned of his rights and knew police were investigating murders, turned his gun over to a policeman who suggested that he could sell the gun for the defendant). [10] In Conde v. State, 860 So.2d 930 (Fla.2003), we held that when a detective exaggerated the amount of DNA evidence against the defendant, the defendant's confession was still voluntary because police misrepresentations alone do not necessarily render a confession involuntary. Id. at 952. We concluded that the deception was minimal because the police had a preliminary match between blood taken from the defendant and DNA evidence collected at the murders, and the defendant had voluntarily given his blood sample within a couple of hours of his arrest. Id. Therefore, when examined under the totality of the circumstances, we held that the confession was not rendered involuntary. Id. However, we have also declared that deception is an important factor to be taken into account when determining whether a consent is voluntary, depending on the level of deception involved. [11] In Thomas v. State, 456 So.2d 454 (Fla.1984), we explained: A confession that is obtained by coercion may not be used in evidence. Brewer v. State, 386 So.2d 232 (Fla. 1980). Techniques calculated to exert improper influence, to trick, or to delude the suspect as to his true position will also result in the exclusion of self-incriminating statements thereby obtained. Blackburn v. Alabama, 361 U.S. 199, 80 S.Ct. 274, 4 L.Ed.2d 242 (1960); Bram v. United States, 168 U.S. 532, 18 S.Ct. 183, 42 L.Ed. 568 (1897); Frazier v. State, 107 So.2d 16 (Fla.1958); Harrison v. State, 152 Fla. 86, 12 So.2d 307 (1943). To render a confession inadmissible, however, the delusion or confusion must be visited upon the suspect by his interrogators; if it originates from the suspect's own apprehension, mental state, or lack of factual knowledge, it will not require suppression. See State v. Caballero, 396 So.2d 1210 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981); Ebert v. State, 140 So.2d 63 (Fla. 2d DCA 1962). Id. at 458 (emphasis supplied). Similarly, we cautioned in Johnson v. State, 660 So.2d 637 (Fla.1995), that voluntariness may be negated and suppression of evidence mandated where the defendant makes a showing of physical or psychological coercion, intentional deception, or a violation of a constitutional right. Id. at 642 (emphasis supplied) (citing State v. Sawyer, 561 So.2d 278 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Martinez v. State, 545 So.2d 466 (Fla. 4th DCA 1989)); accord Commonwealth v. Slaton, 530 Pa. 207, 608 A.2d 5, 9 (1992) (Consent must be freely and intelligently given, however, and is not voluntary if it is obtained through deception as deception amounts to implied coercion, which negates the necessary element of willingness. (citing United States v. Prudden, 424 F.2d 1021 (5th Cir.1970))). Despite our cautions and, with the exception of cases like Bumper, our case law has done little to provide concrete examples of when such trickery or intentional deception will render a consent involuntary. [12]