Opinion ID: 793479
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admissibility of the Rifle and Magazine Clips

Text: 11 Simpson first argues the rifle and magazine clips recovered on the ground by the officers are inadmissible under the Fourth Amendment as fruit of the poisonous tree. We review the district court's Fourth Amendment rulings de novo. United States v. Brown, 49 F.3d 1346, 1348-49 (8th Cir.1995). 12 Under the `fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine, the exclusionary rule bars the admission of physical evidence and live witness testimony obtained directly or indirectly through the exploitation of police illegality. Hamilton v. Nix, 809 F.2d 463, 465 (8th Cir.1987) (citing Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 484-88, 83 S.Ct. 407, 9 L.Ed.2d 441 (1963)). The district court ruled, and the government does not dispute, that law enforcement had neither probable cause nor reasonable suspicion to seize Simpson. We will therefore assume, without deciding, that Simpson's initial seizure was unconstitutional. Given this background, we must now address whether the rifle and magazines recovered on the ground after Simpson's seizure were obtained through an improper exploitation of the initial police illegality. 13 Simpson concedes he was first seized, for purposes of the Fourth Amendment, when Officer Cronin tackled him. Simpson's chase by law enforcement was, in all respects, lawful, and his relinquishment of the rifle and magazines was an act preceding the police illegality. See California v. Hodari D., 499 U.S. 621, 629, 111 S.Ct. 1547, 113 L.Ed.2d 690 (1991) (holding that pursuit by law enforcement, even where law enforcement makes a show of authority, does not constitute a Fourth Amendment seizure). The mere fact that police recovered the rifle and magazines after Simpson's unlawful seizure does not render this evidence inadmissible. Had authorities not arrested Simpson, they would have been free to retrace the search route and recover any and all evidence they encountered on the way. Evidence recovered under these circumstances is ordinarily admissible. See United States v. Liu, 180 F.3d 957, 962 (8th Cir.1999). Simpson's unlawful seizure does not change the fact that he relinquished control over the rifle and magazines prior to any police misconduct. We therefore reject Simpson's fruit of the poisonous tree argument because the rifle and magazines were obtained through conduct that preceded the police illegality. Instead, the more relevant inquiry is whether Simpson abandoned the rifle and magazines such that they may be properly admitted as evidence. 14 We review a district court's abandonment rulings for clear error. United States v. Segars, 31 F.3d 655, 658 (8th Cir.1994). Generally, abandoned property may be recovered by police and used for evidentiary purposes. See Hester v. United States, 265 U.S. 57, 58, 44 S.Ct. 445, 68 L.Ed. 898 (1924); United States v. Hollman, 541 F.2d 196, 199 n. 8 (8th Cir. 1976). When determining if evidence has been abandoned, courts must consider whether the defendant relinquished his reasonable expectation of privacy over the objects. See United States v. Hoey, 983 F.2d 890, 892-93 (8th Cir.1993). This determination is made based on the objective facts available to the officers at the time they recovered the evidence, taking into account the totality of the circumstances. United States v. Tugwell, 125 F.3d 600, 602 (8th Cir.1997). Under this test, courts typically consider two critical factors — whether the defendant physically relinquished, and denied ownership over, the challenged evidence. Id. 15 Here, Simpson threw the rifle and magazines on the ground while being chased by police. This act suffices to establish the evidence was physically relinquished. Further, the district court found, and we agree, that at the time Simpson discarded the rifle and magazines, he was attempting to disclaim ownership over this evidence so authorities could not trace the objects back to him. Therefore, we conclude the district court did not clearly err when it found that Simpson abandoned the rifle and magazines and, as such, this evidence is admissible. 16