Opinion ID: 6319746
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: Sandell appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress statements made to the officers while in his home. We review the district court’s legal conclusions de novo and its factual findings for clear error. United States v. Parker, 993 F.3d 595, 601 (8th Cir. 2021).
Sandell first argues the officers violated his Miranda rights while questioning him in his home. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966). “The Fifth Amendment requires that Miranda warnings be given when a person is interrogated by law enforcement after being taken into custody.” Parker, 993 F.3d at 601 (quoting United States v. Giboney, 863 F.3d 1022, 1027 (8th Cir. 2017)). Here, the -3- government concedes that none of the officers advised Sandell of his Miranda rights. The government also agrees that the February 27, 2020, visit by law enforcement at Sandell’s residence was an interrogation. Thus, the issue is whether Sandell was in custody during the interrogation. A person is considered to be in custody for the purposes of Miranda warnings when there is a “formal arrest or restraint [on his or her] freedom of movement of the degree associated with formal arrest.” Id. (quoting United States v. Williams, 760 F.3d 811, 814 (8th Cir. 2014). “To determine whether a suspect was in custody, we ask whether, given the totality of the circumstances, a reasonable person would have felt at liberty to terminate the interrogation and leave or cause the agents to leave.” Id. (quoting United States v. Laurita, 821 F.3d 1020, 1024 (8th Cir. 2016)). This court considers six non-exhaustive factors when making this determination: (1) whether the suspect was informed at the time of questioning that the questioning was voluntary, that the suspect was free to leave or request the officers to do so, or that the suspect was not considered under arrest; (2) whether the suspect possessed unrestrained freedom of movement during questioning; (3) whether the suspect initiated contact with authorities or voluntarily acquiesced to official requests to respond to questions; (4) whether strong arm tactics or deceptive stratagems were employed during questioning; (5) whether the atmosphere of the questioning was police dominated; or, (6) whether the suspect was placed under arrest at the termination of questioning. United States v. Ferguson, 970 F.3d 895, 901 (8th Cir. 2020) (quoting United States v. Griffin, 922 F.2d 1343, 1349 (8th Cir. 1990)). Here, all six factors weigh in favor of Sandell’s not being in custody; thus, the officers did not need to advise Sandell of his Miranda rights. First, it is undisputed that officers informed Sandell many times he was not under arrest and was not obligated to speak to the officers. Repetitive reminders that a defendant is free to terminate an interview “is powerful evidence that a reasonable person would have understood that he was free to terminate the interview.” Giboney, 863 F.3d at 1027– -4- 28 (quoting United States v. Czichray, 378 F.3d 822, 826 (8th Cir. 2004)); see also United States v. Perrin, 659 F.3d 718, 721 (8th Cir. 2011) (noting this court has never held a person was in custody after receiving admonitions from officers that the defendant was free to leave). Second, Sandell retained his freedom of movement during questioning. Sandell argues his movement was restrained because officers followed him while moving around his house. But we have consistently held police escorts throughout a house do not restrain a defendant’s movement to the degree associated with a formal arrest. See, e.g., Giboney, 863 F.3d at 1028; Czichray, 378 F.3d at 825, 830. Moreover, Sandell was never handcuffed or physically or verbally restrained from moving about. See Laurita, 821 F.3d at 1025 (finding that absence of handcuffing or physical or verbal restraint weighed against defendant being in custody). And while Sandell was told his vehicle needed to be searched if he chose to leave in it, this did not restrict his movement during questions or require him to answer questions. Third, Sandell voluntarily acquiesced to official requests to respond to questions. While the officers initiated the encounter, the record shows that the officers frequently reminded Sandell he was not obligated to speak with them. Yet Sandell continued to converse with the officers—thus acquiescing to their requests to respond to questions. Compare United States v. Johnson, 619 F.3d 910, 919 (8th Cir. 2010) (finding a defendant voluntarily acquiesced to police interview in his own home by responding to questioning after police informed him he was free to leave at any time), with United States v. Ollie, 442 F.3d 1135, 1138 (8th Cir. 2006) (finding defendant did not voluntarily acquiesce to police questioning where probation officer ordered a defendant to talk to the police chief). The remaining factors likewise weigh against a custody finding. The officers did not use any strong arm or deceptive tactics. While Sandell argues an officer’s mention of the K-9 unit’s being on its way was an attempt to strong arm him into making statements, this was hardly a tactic—the K-9 unit arrived at Sandell’s -5- residence and searched the premises. And although Sandell was certainly outnumbered with four officers in his home, we have found custody did not exist in even more police-dominated circumstances. See, e.g., United States v. Axsom, 289 F.3d 496, 502 (8th Cir. 2002) (finding a defendant was not in custody when nine agents executed a search warrant and two of those nine agents conducted an interview). Lastly, Sandell was not arrested at the conclusion of the interrogation. Thus, based on the totality of the circumstances, the district court did not err in holding the in-home interrogation was not custodial. As a result, the district court correctly denied Sandell’s motion to suppress because the officers were not required to advise Sandell of his Miranda rights.
Sandell next argues his statements made during the in-home interrogation were involuntary. “A statement is involuntary when it is extracted by threats, violence, or express or implied promises sufficient to overbear the defendant’s will and critically impair his capacity for self-determination.” United States v. Roberts, 975 F.3d 709, 718 (8th Cir. 2020). “We determine if a defendant’s will has been overborne by examining the totality of the circumstances, including both the conduct of law enforcement in exerting pressure to confess on the defendant and the defendant’s ability to resist that pressure.” United States v. Magallon, 984 F.3d 1263, 1284 (8th Cir. 2021) (quoting United States v. Brave Heart, 397 F.3d 1035, 1040 (8th Cir. 2005)). Factors used to make this determination include “the degree of police coercion, the length of the interrogation, its location, its continuity, and the defendant’s maturity, education, physical condition, and mental condition.” Id. (quoting United States v. Boslau, 632 F.3d 422, 428 (8th Cir. 2011)). The totality of circumstances demonstrates that Sandell’s will was not overborne at the time he made the challenged statements. There is no evidence Sandell lacked the requisite maturity, education, or mental or physical stamina to understand his rights. Throughout the interview, officers continued to remind Sandell he was not under arrest and was not obligated to talk to them. And while -6- the officers discussed the potential of a lengthy prison sentence for Sandell, it was Sandell who first raised the topic. Moreover, Sandell admitted he had experience with the criminal justice system suggesting he was familiar with his constitutional rights. See United States v. Vinton, 631 F.3d 476, 482 (8th Cir. 2011) (“A history of interaction with the criminal justice system supports an inference that an interviewee is familiar with his constitutional rights and that his statements to the police are voluntary.”). Under these facts, the district court did not err in finding Sandell voluntarily made statements to law enforcement. For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the district court’s denial of Sandell’s motion to suppress. ______________________________ -7-