Opinion ID: 2356269
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: August 25 Statements

Text: Flanagan next argues that the statements she made on August 25, 2004, should have been suppressed because, under the totality of the circumstances, she did not knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently waive her right against self-incrimination. Flanagan made these statements after she was given her Miranda warnings. A statement made while in custody is presumptively involuntary, and the burden is on the State to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a custodial statement was given voluntarily and was knowingly and intelligently made. MacKool v. State, 365 Ark. 416, 231 S.W.3d 676 (2006). In order to determine whether a waiver of Miranda rights is voluntary, knowing, and intelligent, this court looks to see if the statement was the product of free and deliberate choice rather than intimidation, coercion, or deception. Id. To make this determination, we review the totality of the circumstances surrounding the waiver including the age, education, and intelligence of the accused; the lack of advice as to his constitutional rights; the length of the detention; the repeated and prolonged nature of the questioning; the use of mental or physical punishment; and statements made by the interrogating officers and the vulnerability of the defendant. Id. We will reverse a trial court's ruling on this issue only if it is clearly against the preponderance of the evidence. Id. In support of her argument that she did not voluntarily waive her rights, Flanagan points to testimony before the circuit court that showed her IQ was only 85, that she had a history of mental illness, and the fact that she was on three different types of prescription medication for her mental illness. She also points to her brother's testimony that just hours before her 12:15 a.m. statement, she was acting crazy and took a bunch of pills in an apparent attempt to overdose. Flanagan's brother also said that near that time, she had died and he brought her back to life. Flanagan further points to her mother's testimony that, prior to making her statement, Flanagan was acting like she was in a daze. Finally, Flanagan contends that the State presented no evidence to suggest that Flanagan had ever had any involvement in the criminal justice system or with waiving or invoking her constitutional rights. The State contends that Flanagan's voluntary waiver of her rights is demonstrated by the fact that Flanagan herself initiated the statements by contacting Officer Rolland late on August 24, 2004, and speaking with him at her home about the murder to get [some things] off her chest to clear her conscience. According to Rolland, Flanagan asked to, go to the Lake City sheriffs office to make her statement because she was uncomfortable talking with him in her home or her car. Rolland testified that Flanagan did not appear to be under the influence of any intoxicants at the time she spoke with him. The circuit court concluded that Flanagan voluntarily accompanied Rolland to the sheriffs office and noted that Flanagan was given her Miranda warnings, prior to her 12:15 statement. The circuit court listened to the audiotape of Flanagan's statement and found that [d]uring the audio-recorded statement defendant is lucid and responds appropriately] to questions relating details that are consistent with facts known to law enforcement officers. There is no evidence that defendant is under the influence of drugs or alcohol!' The evaluation of the credibility of witnesses who testify at a suppression hearing about the circumstances surrounding an appellant's custodial confession is for the trial judge to determine, and this court defers to the position of the trial judge in matters of credibility. MacKool, supra . Conflicts in the testimony are for the trial judge to resolve, and the judge is not required to believe the testimony of any witness, especially that of the accused, since he or she is the person most interested in the outcome of the proceedings. Id. So long as there is no evidence of coercion, a statement made voluntarily may be admissible against the accused. Id. In this case, while there was testimony from Flanagan's family members that she was impaired at the time she made statements to police, Rolland testified that Flanagan did not appear to be intoxicated when she spoke to him. It is clear that the judge found Rolland's testimony to be more credible than the testimony of Flanagan's brother and mother. In addition, the trial judge himself listened to the tape of the interview, and so was able to hear for himself whether or not Flanagan sounded as if she were impaired. See Jones v. State, 344 Ark. 682, 42 S.W.3d 536 (2001). Under the totality of the circumstances, the circuit court did not err in finding that Flanagan knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently waived her rights prior to making a statement to police on August 25, 2004, at 12:15 a.m.
The next statement at issue on appeal is Flanagan's 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. statement made to Rolland at the Craighead County jail: Flanagan argues that this statement should be suppressed because she was apparently unable to take medications prior to making the statement, she was depressed to the extent that Rolland felt she should be placed on suicide watch, and most importantly, because her confession was obtained through a false promise of reward or leniency. In Williams v. State, 363 Ark. 395, 214 S.W.3d 829 (2005), we stated: We note at the outset that a statement made while in custody is presumptively involuntary, and the burden is on the State to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a custodial statement was given voluntarily and was knowingly and intelligently made. Grillot v. State, 353 Ark. 294, 107 S.W.3d 136 (2003). In order to determine whether a waiver of Miranda rights is voluntary, we look to see if the confession was the product of free and deliberate choice rather than intimidation, coercion, or deception. Id. When we review a trial court's ruling on the voluntariness of a confession, we make an independent determination based on the totality of the circumstances. Id. A statement induced by a false promise of reward or leniency is not a voluntary statement. Roberts v. State, 352 Ark. 489, 102 S.W.3d 482 (2003). When a police officer makes a false promise that misleads a prisoner, and the prisoner gives a confession because of that false promise, then the confession has not been made voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently. Id. For the statement to be involuntary, the promise must have induced or influenced the confession. Id.; Bisbee v. State, 341 Ark. 508, 17 S.W.3d 477 (2000), overruled on other grounds in Grillot, 353 Ark. 294, 107 S.W.3d 136. Furthermore, the defendant must show that the confession was untrue, because the object of the rule is not to exclude a confession of truth, but to avoid the possibility of a confession of guilt from one who is, in fact, innocent. Id. In determining whether there has been a misleading promise of reward or leniency, this court views the totality of the circumstances and examines, first, the officer's statement and, second, the vulnerability of the defendant. Id. Williams, 363 Ark. at 404-05, 214 S.W.3d at 834-35. Flanagan claims that she confessed to Rolland because he promised her that she would be allowed to speak to her mother and her psychiatrist if she confessed. Rolland contradicted this testimony, stating that he told Flanagan he would interview her first, and then he would see about helping her speak, to her mother and her psychiatrist. The circuit court viewed the videotaped statement and found that Flanagan was lucid and responded appropriately to questions. Further, the court found that there was no evidence that Flanagan was under the influence of drugs or alcohol or that she was detached from reality. The court determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Flanagan was more susceptible to undue influence or less able to resist pressure due to side effects of prescription drugs, lack of prior involvement with the law, or any alleged defect in mental state, education, or IQ. Finally, the court concluded that the statements of Rolland to Flanagan regarding calling Flanagan's mother or arranging treatment for Flanagan at MidSouth Health Services were not tied to Flanagan's waiver of her rights and were, thus, inconsequential. Here, the circuit judge viewed the videotaped statement; thus, he was able to hear for himself whether or not Flanagan sounded as if she were impaired and whether Rolland obtained a confession through a false promise of reward. The record does not indicate that Flanagan was mentally impaired such that she did not realize the meaning of her statement. Nor does the record indicate, as Flanagan suggests, that Rolland offered desired benefits to obtain her participation in and completion of the interview. The circuit court's finding is not clearly against the preponderance of the evidence.
Flanagan argues that the waiver of her rights was involuntary due to the delay between, her Miranda warnings and the statement she made around 8:30 a.m. on August 25. The record shows that Flanagan was Mirandized prior to making her 12:15 a.m. statement on August 25. Further, the circuit court found that, prior to making her 8:30 a.m. statement, Flanagan acknowledged that Rolland had read her rights to her earlier, and that she remembered those rights. In Williams, supra , we noted: This court has held that there is no constitutional requirement that a suspect be warned of his Miranda rights each time he is, questioned. See Howell v. State, 350 Ark. 552, 89 S.W.3d 343 (2002), overruled on other grounds in Grillot, 353 Ark. 294, 107 S.W.3d 136; Bryant v. State, 314 Ark. 130, 862 S.W.2d 215 (1993). There is likewise no mechanical formula for measuring the longest permissible interval between the last warning and the confession. See Barnes v. State, 281 Ark. 489, 665 S.W.2d 263 (1984); Upton v. State, 257 Ark. 424, 516 S.W.2d 904 (1974). [2] Miranda warnings need only be repeated when the circumstances have changed so seriously that the accused's answers are no longer voluntary, or the, accused is no longer making a knowing and intelligent relinquishment or abandonment of his rights. See Conner v. State, 334 Ark. 457, 982 S.W.2d 655 (1998) (citing Wyrick v. Fields, 459 U.S. 42, 103 S.Ct. 394, 74 L.Ed.2d 214 (1982)). Williams, 363 Ark. at 408-09, 214 S.W.3d at 836-37. The circuit court determined that the passage of eight hours was not so great nor Flanagan's circumstances so changed, that new Miranda warnings were required. Thus, the circuit court concluded that in light of all the circumstances, the Miranda warnings given to Flanagan prior to her earlier statement were sufficient to uphold the 8:30 a.m. statement. We agree. Viewing the totality of the circumstances, we conclude that the interval of time between the last warning and the giving of the statement did not render Flanagan's confession involuntary.
Finally, Flanagan argues that the circuit court's refusal to suppress the 8:30 a.m. videotaped statement was clearly against the preponderance of the evidence because (1) Rolland continued to question her after she had inquired of her right to counsel, and (2) his response to her inquiry linked appointment of counsel to a future court appearance rather than making clear that Flanagan could have counsel appointed prior to further questioning. Following is the relevant portion of the transcript of the interview: Q: Judy, in this interview, before we conduct this interview, I am going to, of course, you have had your rights read to you already. Is that correct? A: Yes. Q: OK. I am going to do it again. You understand what your rights are, first of all? Right. You know what I am talking about? I explained this earlier, is that correct? A: Yes. Q: All I want you to do is give me a yes or no response. Do you understand that you have a right to remain silent? Do you understand that? A: Could I ask you something? Q: Sure. A: On all those rights, part of me understands it but then a part of me doesn't. Q: Well, you know, before we talked, when I and that's why I am advising you of your rights. You know, basically, that means, that, well I'll just read them to you again. A: Well, I remember what you said they were last night. Q: You remember what they are, right? A: Yes. Q: OK. What, what part did you not understand? A: Do I need to call an attorney? Q: Well, you can have an attorney present. A: I don't know one. I don't have money to buy. Q: Well, you can have one. What you will do, is when we go to court, you know, if you can't afford one, they will appoint you one. That's what I explained to you earlier this morning. Do you remember that? A: Yes. Q: OK. Alright. A: OK. The circuit court made the following findings with respect to Flanagan's argument that she requested counsel: Defendant was advised of her Miranda rights at 12:15 a.m. on August 25, 2004, and at that time executed a Your Rights and Waiver of Rights form. Some eight hours later, while incarcerated at the Craighead County jail, prior to a second round of questioning by Rolland, defendant acknowledged] that Rolland had read defendant's rights to her earlier. Defendant acknowledged that she remembered the rights Rolland had explained to her in the early morning hours of August 25, 2004. Rolland again reminded defendant that she had the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present, and the right to have an attorney appointed by the court if she could not afford an attorney. In response to a question from Rolland, Defendant acknowledged that she remembered those rights as explained to her earlier by Rolland. Defendant's question of Rolland, Do I need to call an attorney? was not a request by defendant to stop the questioning or a request by defendant of a lawyer. Defendant subsequently gave an inculpatory statement. The Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld the permissible time between Miranda warnings and a statement from a few hours to three days. The passage of eight hours is not so great nor Flanagan's circumstances so changed, that new Miranda warnings are required. In light of all circumstances the Miranda warnings given to defendant at 12:30 a.m. were sufficient to uphold the 8:30-9:00 a.m. video statement of defendant without new Miranda warnings. The State contends that Flanagan's argument that the interviewer did not honor her request for an attorney fails because her request was equivocal. We agree. We have held that after a knowing and voluntary waiver of the Miranda rights, law enforcement officers may continue questioning until and unless the suspect clearly requests an attorney. Higgins v. State, 317 Ark. 555, 879 S.W.2d 424 (1994). An ambiguous reference to an attorney by a suspect after hearing his Miranda rights does not require that the interrogation cease. Id. In Higgins , this court held that the question, Do you think I need an attorney? was not an unequivocal request for counsel and, thus, did not require that the interrogation cease. Flanagan claims that Higgins is distinguishable from the instant case because the requirement for clear or unequivocal request for counsel comes into play only after a knowing and voluntary waiver of the right has previously been made. She argues that in her case, the waiver was not knowingly and voluntarily made, and, further, that Higgins did not involve earlier requests made by the appellant to officers which had been denied, or suggestions by law enforcement that the appellant would obtain desired benefits or rewards after the interview was concluded. We see no such distinction. Flanagan's attempt to distinguish her case fails because we have already determined that the circuit court did not err in concluding that Flanagan's waiver was voluntary and that her confession was not obtained by the promise of reward. Here, after being given her Miranda warnings, Flanagan asked, Do I need to call an attorney? This is analogous to the facts in Higgins where, after being given his Miranda warnings, Higgins asked, Do you think I need an attorney? Like the appellant's reference in Higgins , Flanagan's reference to an attorney in this case was surely ambiguous and hardly amounted to the sort of direct request, required to invoke [her] Fifth Amendment right to counsel. Higgins, 317 Ark. at 563, 879 S.W.2d at 428. As such, we affirm the circuit court on this point. Based on the foregoing, we cannot say that the circuit court abused its discretion in denying Flanagan's motion to suppress.