Opinion ID: 172534
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Voluntariness of Mr. Williams's Confession

Text: Mr. Williams further argues that the district judge erred by finding his July 27, 2004, confession to be voluntary and admissible. He asserts that the district judge's finding of voluntariness rested on Officer Henderson's credibility, which Mr. Williams attacks. We conclude that the district court did not err in finding Mr. Williams's confession to have been voluntary. The voluntariness of a confession is a question of law which this court reviews de novo. United States v. Lugo, 170 F.3d 996, 1003 (10th Cir.1999). However, we accept the district judge's underlying factual findings unless they are clearly erroneous. Id. The Government bears the burden of showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a confession is voluntary. United States v. Lopez, 437 F.3d 1059, 1063 (10th Cir.2006). We determine voluntariness based on the totality of the circumstances, examining: (1) the defendant's age, intelligence, and education; (2) the length of the detention and interrogation; (3) the length and nature of the questioning; (4) whether the defendant was advised of his constitutional rights; and (5) whether the defendant was subjected to or threatened with any physical punishment. Lugo, 170 F.3d at 1004. The court must examine the entire record and make an independent determination of the ultimate issue of voluntariness. Id. ; see also United States v. Muniz, 1 F.3d 1018, 1021 (10th Cir.1993) (The entire record is considered on appeal which includes evidence at the suppression hearing as well as at trial.). However, a confession is only involuntary when the police use coercive activity to undermine the suspect's ability to exercise his free will. Lugo, 170 F.3d at 1004. Here, considering the totality of the circumstances, we agree with the district judge that Mr. Williams's July 27, 2004, confession was voluntary. Testimony at trial, which is substantially similar to the evidence admitted at the pre-trial hearing on the voluntariness of Mr. Williams's confession, supports our conclusion. After the search at Mr. Williams's house, Officer MacKenzie testified that he read Miranda warnings to Mr. Williams and Mr. Williams indicated that he understood his rights. Officer Henderson testified that Mr. Williams wanted to cooperate with the police, and Officer Sherman similarly testified that Mr. Williams spoke with them voluntarily. Both Officers Henderson and Sherman testified that Mr. Williams was apprised of the witness statement's contents before he signed it. While Mr. Williams testified that the statement was blank when he signed it and that the police threatened him with life in prison if he did not sign it, the district judge did not clearly err by refusing to credit this version of the events. The consistent testimony of Officers Henderson and Sherman provided a firm foundation for this refusal. Therefore, we conclude that Mr. Williams's July 27, 2004, confession was voluntarily made.