Opinion ID: 786677
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Psychological Advantage

Text: 56 The dissent argues that Bowdich used the pretextual search to gain a psychological advantage over Defendant that would have been unavailable had the officers simply arrested him at his doorstep. Dissent at 8331. As we have noted, Defendant does not renew his Fifth Amendment claim that his confession was involuntary. Therefore, that issue is not properly before us. Guam v. Gill, 61 F.3d 688, 695 (9th Cir.1995). Even if it were, however, we disagree with the dissent's conclusion. 57 A confession is involuntary if coerced either by physical intimidation or psychological pressure. United States v. Haswood, 350 F.3d 1024, 1027 (9th Cir.2003). In determining whether a defendant's confession was voluntary, the question is `whether the defendant's will was overborne at the time he confessed.' Clark v. Murphy, 331 F.3d 1062, 1072 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 540 U.S. 968, 124 S.Ct. 446, 157 L.Ed.2d 313 (2003) (quoting Haynes v. Washington, 373 U.S. 503, 513, 83 S.Ct. 1336, 10 L.Ed.2d 513 (1963)). Psychological coercion invokes no per se rule. United States v. Miller, 984 F.2d 1028, 1030 (9th Cir.1993). Therefore, we must consider the totality of the circumstances involved and their effect upon the will of the defendant. Id. at 1031(citing Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 226-27, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973)). 58 Beyond doubt, the police used a deceptive tactic to induce Defendant to come to the FBI office and speak about the old bank robbery. The police lied to Defendant when they said that their purpose was to look for physical evidence of a parole violation; what they really wanted was an opportunity to talk to him about the old bank robbery. Trickery, deceit, even impersonation do not render a confession inadmissible, certainly in noncustodial situations and usually in custodial ones as well, unless government agents make threats or promises. United States v. Kontny, 238 F.3d 815, 817(7th Cir.2001) (citing Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731, 739, 89 S.Ct. 1420, 22 L.Ed.2d 684 (1969)). As the First Circuit has noted, 59 trickery is not automatically coercion. Indeed, the police commonly engage in such ruses as suggesting to a suspect that a confederate has just confessed or that police have or will secure physical evidence against the suspect. While the line between ruse and coercion is sometimes blurred, confessions procured by deceits have been held voluntary in a number of situations. 60 United States v. Byram, 145 F.3d 405, 408 (1st Cir.1998); see also United States v. Orso, 266 F.3d 1030, 1039(9th Cir.2001) (en banc) (holding that an inspector's misrepresentation that a piece of evidence existed, while reprehensible, does not constitute coercive conduct); Clanton v. Cooper, 129 F.3d 1147, 1158 (10th Cir.1997) (holding that a confession was voluntary despite the fact that an officer falsely told the defendant that physical evidence connected him to the crime). 61 Here, the deception did not involve a misrepresentation of the strength of the case against Defendant. To the contrary, the fruitlessness of the search demonstrated to Defendant that the police lacked physical evidence of his involvement in the old bank robbery or in any other crime. The pretextual search simply gave Bowdich an opportunity to speak to Defendant about the robbery. We need not consider whether, had Defendant confessed in his home, we might be able to say that the search overbore his will and caused his confession. 9 However, the pretextual search, if it influenced anything, influenced only Defendant's agreement to go to the more comfortable atmosphere of the FBI office. 62 Looking to the setting and to the totality of circumstances, we find that Defendant's confession was voluntary. The interview at the FBI office took about an hour. We have upheld as voluntary, confessions obtained after much lengthier interrogations. See Haswood, 350 F.3d at 1028(Even if we assume that the interrogation lasted all day, ... coercion typically involves far more outrageous conduct.). Similarly, nothing about the environment in which the statement was given or the manner in which Defendant was questioned suggests coercive conduct by the police. Defendant was not in custody when he confessed. Bowdich repeatedly told Defendant that he was not under arrest and was free to leave, and Defendant in fact did leave after the interview, without being arrested. Significantly, Bowdich did not misrepresent the nature or purpose of the interview, nor did he make promises or threaten [Defendant]. Pollard, 290 F.3d at 1035. The search of his residence, while deceptive, did not amount to coercion sufficient to make the statement involuntary. Id. at 1033.