Opinion ID: 2195069
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Interrogation at Police Station

Text: Investigators learned that Williams was at the scene when the fire occurred and found him and Diane at Williams' home the morning after the fire. Williams consented to accompany the investigators to the station for questioning; he was left in an interview room for about 30 minutes before the interview started. During this time, he dozed off periodically. When the interview began, a police detective, Daniel R. Hayes, asked preliminary questions to determine whether Williams could understand questions and engage in conversation and whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In response to a question about drug and alcohol use, Williams responded that he had been drinking [a] little earlier, yeah[, a] lot earlier and that he had drunk a buncha beer and gin. Hayes concluded that Williams was not under the influence and that he understood the questions and could engage in conversation. Hayes read a Miranda rights advisory form to Williams and noted his responses on the form. A videotape in the record shows that Williams stated yes to the following questions: Do you understand (1) that you have the right to remain silent, (2) that your statement could be used against you, (3) that you have the right to a lawyer and that the lawyer could be present during the questioning, and (4) that if you cannot afford a lawyer, the court will appoint one to represent you. Hayes did not read the final question on the form, Knowing your rights in this matter, are you willing to talk to me now? Instead, he asked Williams if he was going to talk about the fire, and Williams stated he did not know what happened. Hayes then asked whether Williams was going to answer questions, and Williams stated, Yeah. Hayes wrote on the advisory form that Williams' answer to the last question was, Go ahead, yes. This statement does not appear in the videotape of the interview. Williams initially denied any involvement with the fire and stated that as he was coming down the alley near the house, he saw Diane run out of the house. Williams was periodically left alone in the interview room. During that time, police interviewed Diane. She initially denied involvement, but later changed her story. According to Diane, a disagreement arose between Williams and Burgess about some missing money and property, and Williams poured gasoline around the interior of the house and lit it. Hayes went back into the interview room and informed Williams that Diane told him what had happened; Williams then confessed to starting the fire. Williams moved to suppress the statements because he stated he was not properly advised of his Miranda rights and because the statements were involuntary. After a hearing, the motion was overruled.