Opinion ID: 537191
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Suppression of Santos's post-arrest statement.

Text: 31 Santos argues that the district court erroneously admitted into evidence a post-arrest statement he made while in a hospital emergency room. Santos was wounded in the hand and leg by gunfire during the raid. He was taken to a hospital for treatment where he made a statement recounting the events to an attending nurse. Santos contends that the statement should have been suppressed either because he had not been given Miranda warnings properly or because the statement was not voluntary. The issue of the voluntariness of a statement is a legal question which we review de novo. Miller v. Fenton, 474 U.S. 104, 115, 106 S.Ct. 445, 452, 88 L.Ed.2d 405 (1985); Green v. Scully, 850 F.2d 894, 900 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 109 S.Ct. 374, 102 L.Ed.2d 363 (1988). 32 Miranda rights protect suspects in custody from being coerced into giving incriminating evidence against themselves by law enforcement officials. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 1612, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966); see Arizona v. Mauro, 481 U.S. 520, 529-30, 107 S.Ct. 1931, 1936-37, 95 L.Ed.2d 458 (1987); Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 170, 107 S.Ct. 515, 524, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986). However, Miranda does not apply to incriminating statements made to private persons in the absence of police subterfuge or intimidation. Mauro, 481 U.S. at 529-30, 107 S.Ct. at 1936-37; Connelly, 479 U.S. at 166, 107 S.Ct. at 521; Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, 301, 100 S.Ct. 1682, 1689, 64 L.Ed.2d 297 (1980); see United States v. Antonelli, 434 F.2d 335, 337 (2d Cir.1970). Santos's statement was made to a nurse, a private party, during the routine performance of medical duties without any indication of law enforcement influence. Since [Santos's] statements were made to [a private person,] not law enforcement officers or their agents    no warnings need have been given. Antonelli, 434 F.2d at 337-38. 33 Further, coercive police activity is a necessary predicate to the finding that a [statement] is not 'voluntary' . Connelly, 479 U.S. at 167, 107 S.Ct. at 522. In this case, there was no evidence presented that police coercion or activity had any relation to Santos's statement to the nurse. Thus, his statement was voluntary. See United States v. Borchardt, 809 F.2d 1115, 1118-19 (5th Cir.1987) (incriminating statements made to attending nurse and overheard by prison official did not require Miranda warnings or suppression). The district court did not err in refusing to suppress the statement. 34