Opinion ID: 1136635
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: denial of murray's motion to suppress

Text: For purposes of remand, we address Murray's claim that the trial court, following a hearing on the matter, erred in denying defendant's motion to suppress hair evidence and allowing the state to introduce this evidence against Murray at trial because the hair samples were taken from Murray in violation of his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures. Specifically, Murray argues that (1) the state did not have probable cause to support the search warrant which authorized the taking of Murray's hair samples because the supporting affidavit did not mention the need for hair, and, alternatively, (2) Murray never consented to the seizure, but merely submitted to the apparent lawful authority of the police officers. A trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress comes to us clothed with a presumption of correctness and, as the reviewing court, we must interpret the evidence and reasonable inferences and deductions derived therefrom in a manner most favorable to sustaining the trial court's ruling. McNamara v. State, 357 So.2d 410, 412 (Fla.1978). In this case, Detective O'Steen testified at the suppression hearing that on February 15, 1991, Murray was read his Miranda rights and immediately waived them before the police requested his consent to seize physical evidence. Thereafter, Detective O'Steen asked Murray for his consent to give blood, saliva and hair samples, and Murray told him to go ahead, saying, You won't find nothing. Detective O'Steen further testified that Murray never withdrew his consent. At the bottom of Murray's motion to suppress physical evidence, the trial court wrote, 2-17-94. Denied for reasons recited on record, and signed it, Alban E. Brooke. [2] Interpreting the evidence and inferences derived therefrom in a manner most favorable to upholding the trial court's ruling, we find the trial court reasonably could have denied Murray's motion to suppress because it found Detective O'Steen's testimony at the suppression hearing that Murray voluntarily consented to give a hair sample to be more credible than Murray's testimony to the contrary. [3] Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Murray's motion to suppress hair evidence.