Opinion ID: 1969802
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 26

Heading: 20, b.22, f.1-2, h.1)

Text: The claims in this category allege that certain pretrial statements made by defendant were introduced into evidence in violation of his Miranda rights, and that defense counsel was constitutionally deficient in attempting to persuade the trial court to rule that those statements were inadmissible. Adjudicating the claims on the merits, we conclude that they do not warrant an evidentiary hearing and are without merit. The police questioned defendant three times on the day of Maria Marshall's death, September 7, 1984. They asked defendant a few preliminary questions at the crime scene and continued their inquiries a few hours later at defendant's house. Defendant then voluntarily accompanied the officers to the local police barracks to give a formal statement. The trial court found that the police had not been required to inform defendant of his Miranda rights before the three interrogation sessions because defendant had not been in custody at those times. We agree. The police questioned defendant at the crime scene and at his home as they would question any victim of or witness to a crime. Neither the crime scene nor defendant's home could reasonably be considered a custodial setting. Similarly, when defendant accompanied the officers to the police barracks, he did so voluntarily to support his claim that he himself had been a victim. The police explained to defendant that he was not in custody and that he was free to leave at any time. In short, defendant has not demonstrated that the September 7 questioning constituted custodial interrogation implicating defendant's Miranda rights. Thus, defendant's statements were properly admitted into evidence. Defendant also argues that his counsel was ineffective in not using certain notes and a police report compiled by the investigating officers in his attempt to convince the trial court that defendant had been in custody at the time of the September 7 questioning. However, defendant is unable to point to anything in the notes or police report that conceivably could have had any impact on the Miranda determination. Defendant's claims are thus without merit. Lastly, defendant asserts that at the Miranda hearing the prosecutor deceived the trial court by claiming that the statements made by defendant at the police barracks would not be offered against defendant at trial. We have reviewed the record of the Miranda hearing and find defendant's assertion to be without factual support. The fact that the trial court held a hearing to determine whether the statements made by defendant at the barracks were admissible belies the claim that that court was unaware that the State sought to admit those statements into evidence at trial.