Opinion ID: 1447881
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Interrogations By Deputy Gerlach

Text: The complaint charging defendant with capital murder was filed on December 5, 1984. On December 11, 1984, Deputy Dieter Gerlach of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department interrogated defendant about four robberies committed before the murder of Maxine Brown. Before Gerlach began his questioning, defendant orally and in writing indicated he wanted to talk about the robberies and did not want a lawyer. On February 13, 1985, defendant was arraigned on the capital charge, and counsel was appointed for him the next day. The complaint in the capital case was later amended to charge defendant with the four robberies. At the penalty phase of defendant's trial, Deputy Gerlach testified to the statements defendant had made to him admitting involvement in the four robberies. (22) Defendant now contends that his Sixth Amendment right to counsel was violated by Gerlach's interrogation of him after the capital charge was filed, and that the admission at the penalty phase of defendant's statements to Gerlach was prejudicial error. This issue is not properly before us. Because defendant failed to object to the admission of his statements to Gerlach either before trial or at the time of Gerlach's penalty phase testimony, the issue was not preserved for our review. (Evid. Code, ง 353; see, e.g., People v. Coleman (1988) 46 Cal.3d 749, 777 [251 Cal. Rptr. 83, 759 P.2d 1260].) (23) Defendant alternatively contends that his trial counsel's failure to raise this Sixth Amendment issue deprived him of effective assistance of counsel. We disagree. Even if defendant's counsel had raised this issue, the trial court would not have been required to exclude Deputy Gerlach's testimony. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches when adversary judicial criminal proceedings with respect to a particular offense have been initiated. ( McNeil v. Wisconsin, supra, 501 U.S. at p. ___ [115 L.Ed.2d at p. 166, 111 S.Ct. at p. 2207]; accord, People v. Clair (1992) 2 Cal.4th 629, 657 [7 Cal. Rptr.2d 564, 828 P.2d 705].) Here, such proceedings in the capital case had been initiated before Detective Gerlach's interrogation. But the Sixth Amendment does not prohibit all police interrogations on related matters after adversary proceedings have been initiated. Rather, the high court has made clear that once this right to counsel has attached and has been invoked, any subsequent waiver during a police-initiated custodial interview is ineffective. ( McNeil v. Wisconsin, supra, 501 U.S. at p. ___ [115 L.Ed.2d at p. 166, 111 S.Ct. at p. 2207], italics added.) Although in this case the Sixth Amendment right to counsel had attached in the capital case at the time of the interview, defendant fails to demonstrate that it had been invoked. The record does not show that defendant asked for a lawyer to represent him in the capital case at or before his interview with Gerlach. Accordingly, no Sixth Amendment violation has been demonstrated. [7]