Opinion ID: 2332719
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Comment on pre-arrest silence

Text: On June 28, 1998, a search warrant was obtained for the residence of Dawn Godsey, Appellant's cousin, where Appellant had been staying. Appellant was present when officers arrived and he was handcuffed for the protection of the officers. Appellant was specifically told he was not under arrest. Appellant was taken to a Kenton County Police Department conference room pending execution of the warrants. While there, he told various officers I don't know what you're talking about and I got nothing else to say when asked about Williamson's murder. At trial, Detective Denham repeated Appellant's statements, as did the prosecutor during closing arguments. Appellant contends that as a result, he was denied his constitutional right to remain silent and that his statements were not admissible since he was not Mirandized prior to making them. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). We need not engage in a lengthy constitutional analysis of whether Appellant was or was not in custody and whether his Miranda rights were, in fact, violated. A review of Appellant's statements lead us to the inescapable conclusion that he did not remain silent, but rather denied any knowledge of the crimes. At no point did Appellant state that he did not wish to talk to the officers or that he desired questioning to cease until he could speak with an attorney. Appellant quite simply denied his involvement. As such, we fail to see how Appellant's constitutional rights were violated by Officer Denham's testimony.