Opinion ID: 1932965
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: was the confession admissible?

Text: The record shows without dispute that the Miranda warning was given the defendant prior to his confession. The defendant was a young man about nineteen years of age, a high school graduate, and at the time of the incident involved in this case, had finished nearly one year of college. The basis for defendant's argument that the confession was not shown to be voluntary is the testimony of the defendant at the suppression hearing that Officer Sweeden told defendant that things would be easier on him if he told the truth. It is contended that under Robinson v. State, 247 Miss. 609, 157 So.2d 49 (1963), and Lee v. State, 236 Miss. 716, 112 So.2d 254 (1959), the confession was not shown to be voluntary because, he contends, that at no point during the motion to suppress was Officer Sweeden asked if he made the statement. The State has the burden of proving the voluntariness of the confession. In the present case, Officers Sweeden and Jennings testified that no promises or threats were made and they denied in detail that the officers made any threats or promises of reward, immunity from prosecution, or promise of preferred treatment in order to get the confession. After the officers testified, the defendant took the stand and stated that Officer Sweeden told him: Things will be easier for you if you will tell me the truth, and it will be easier for me, too, you know. Neither Sweeden nor Jennings were recalled by the prosecution to either affirm or deny that the statement was made. We reiterate the procedure laid down by this Court in Agee v. State, 185 So.2d 671 (Miss. 1966), wherein the Court held: 1. The preliminary hearing on the question of the admissibility of a confession must be in the absence of the jury and should be conducted before the trial on the merits begins. 2. The State has the burden of proving the voluntariness of a confession. This burden is met by testimony of an officer that the confession was voluntarily made without any threats, coercion, or offer of reward. Such testimony makes out a prima facie case for the State on the question of voluntariness. 3. When, after the State has made out a prima facie case as to the voluntariness of the confession, the accused offers testimony that violence, threats of violence, or offers of reward induced the confession, then the State must offer all the officers who were present when the accused was questioned and when the confession was made, or give an adequate reason for the absence of any such witness. The foregoing rules have been stated in numerous cases. We strongly emphasize that in every case where the defendant takes the stand after the State has made a prima facie case of voluntariness and testifies to any fact which, if true, would tend to show that the confession was not voluntary, the State should offer all the officers who were present when the accused was questioned or give an adequate reason for the absence of any such witness. However, in the instant case, we hold, as we did in Tate v. State, 317 So.2d 23 (Miss. 1975), that the testimony of the officers who testified before the defendant was sufficient denial of the defendant's claim that Officer Sweeden offered an inducement if he confessed.