Opinion ID: 1224786
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: ambiguous request for counsel

Text: During the interview, after Ninci had been given his Miranda warnings, the police asked Ninci to sign a consent to search form. The police told Ninci that if he would sign the form, it would indicate his willingness to cooperate, and that if he would not sign the form, the authorities would simply obtain a search warrant. At this point, Ninci said, I'm just asking you ... I mean, I mean, I don't know, do I need to have a lawyer right now? I understand this and I want to help. (Emphasis added.) The officers did not respond to Ninci's inquiry. Instead, the officers ignored the inquiry, continued the interview, and obtained the signed consent to search form. See Ninci, 19 Kan. App.2d at 194. As set forth above, Ninci filed a motion to suppress the statement, alleging that his Fifth Amendment right to counsel had been violated because the officers continued to question him after he had requested a lawyer. The trial court found that Ninci's statement was, at the minimum, an ambiguous request for consent and suppressed the interview tape from that statement on. As discussed in the previous issue, the trial court later reversed its suppression of any portion of the tape, but the trial court did not reverse its finding that Ninci's statement was an ambiguous, as opposed to unambiguous, request for counsel at this time. After the trial court reversed its suppression ruling, based on Davis and Morris, Ninci asked the trial court to change its conclusion and find that his request for counsel was a clear and unambiguous request. As such, Ninci asked the trial court to find that the officers were required to stop questioning him upon such request and not resume questioning until he had a lawyer or had reinitiated communication himself. The trial court refused to reconsider its conclusion that Ninci's request for counsel was ambiguous. Therefore, under Davis and Morris, the police were not required to clarify Ninci's ambiguous request for counsel and were allowed to ignore the request without violating Ninci's Fifth Amendment right to counsel. Ninci appeals the trial court's conclusion that his request for counsel was ambiguous. Invocation of the Miranda right to counsel `requires, at a minimum, some statement that can reasonably be construed to be an expression of a desire for the assistance of an attorney.' Davis, 512 U.S. at 459 (quoting McNeil v. Wisconsin, 501 U.S. 171, 178, 115 L. Ed.2d 158, 111 S. Ct. 2204 [1991]). Ninci asserts that his question, [D]o I need to have a lawyer right now? could reasonably be construed to be an expression of a desire for the assistance of an attorney by the officers and by the court. According to Ninci, just because the officers ignored his request for an attorney, continued to press him to sign a consent form, and just because he did sign the consent form does not mean that his request for an attorney was ambiguous. Ninci asserts that the officers ignored his clear and unambiguous request for counsel without waiting for him to be represented by counsel or reinitiate communication, thereby violating his Fifth Amendment right to counsel. Thus, Ninci contends that the portion of his interview that occurred after his clear request for counsel was ignored should be suppressed and all the evidence gathered as a result of that portion of the interview should be suppressed under the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine. The standard of review on this issue is set out by this court in State v. Longbine, 257 Kan. 713, 896 P.2d 367 (1995). We have stated that when reviewing a trial court's suppression of evidence, the appellate courts normally give great deference to the factual findings of the trial court. Even though great deference is given to the factual findings of the trial court, the ultimate determination of the trial court's suppression of evidence is a legal question requiring independent appellate determination. Longbine, 257 Kan. at 717 (citing State v. Vandiver, 257 Kan. 53, Syl. ¶ 6, 891 P.2d 350 [1995]). Here, the trial court made a factual finding that Ninci's request for counsel was ambiguous. The Court of Appeals found that the trial court's conclusion was supported by substantial competent evidence. The trial court's conclusion and the Court of Appeals' conclusion that the defendant's request for counsel was ambiguous are supported by substantial competent evidence. Ninci did not directly ask for an attorney or indicate in any way that he specifically desired an attorney. The defendant's question cannot `reasonably be construed to be an expression of a desire for the assistance of an attorney.' (Emphasis added.) Davis, 512 U.S. at 459. Ninci simply asked the officer whether the officer thought Ninci should get an attorney. Rather than give Ninci unauthorized legal advice, the officer chose to ignore the question. Ninci's request for counsel was ambiguous. Under Davis, a defendant does not implicate his or her Fifth Amendment rights unless an unambiguous request for counsel has been made. Thus, Ninci's Fifth Amendment right to counsel was not implicated by his ambiguous request for counsel. The officer was not required to stop questioning Ninci at the point Ninci inquired about needing an attorney, either to clarify the comment, wait for an attorney, or wait for Ninci to reinitiate communication. As such, the portion of the interview after Ninci made the ambiguous attorney request was properly admitted at trial, and all the evidence found as a result of this portion of the interview was also properly admitted at trial.