Opinion ID: 2210092
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: issues

Text: Defendant sought to suppress the written waivers of his Miranda rights and resulting written confessions. Defendant made two statements, the first obtained between 1:29 a.m. and 1:55 a.m. on May 17, 1983, just after his arrest, and the second taken on the evening of May 19, 1983. He argues that the first waiver and confession were involuntary because he was intoxicated and because the interrogating officer threatened him with a severe sentence. Defendant further argues that there was an insufficient break in the chain of events to insulate his second confession from the alleged improprieties surrounding the first. The State bears the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that an accused knowingly and voluntarily waived his Miranda rights and voluntarily gave a statement. Thomas v. State (1983), Ind., 443 N.E.2d 1197, 1199. We consider the surrounding circumstances in determining whether a voluntary statement was given. Id. A statement may be involuntary because the defendant was intoxicated when it was given; the degree of a defendant's mental impairment is the decisive issue. Id. As the defendant in this case correctly argues, a signed waiver is inconclusive proof that a voluntary waiver and statement occurred. Dickerson v. State (1972), 257 Ind. 562, 276 N.E.2d 845, 849. However, when reviewing a trial court's ruling on voluntariness, we have held that we will consider only the evidence which supports that ruling, when the evidence is in conflict, as well as any unrefuted evidence in defendant's favor. Jackson v. State (1980), 274 Ind. 297, 411 N.E.2d 609, 611. Defendant recites a lengthy list of drugs that he claims to have consumed between 7:30 p.m., May 16, 1982, and 1:00 a.m., May 17, 1982, including four qualudes, fifteen beers, four codeine tablets, and four marijuana joints. He also claims that the investigating officer threatened him with a fifty-year sentence if he did not confess, versus a five-year sentence if he did. The defendant's statements were obtained by Detective Sergeant Michael McPhillips of the Hammond Police Department. The defendant exhibited signs of intoxication before Officer McPhillips began the interview at approximately 1:30 a.m. During the next twenty-six minutes, the officer discussed with the defendant his constitutional rights, and the defendant completed information blanks in the police waiver of rights form. During the following 45 minutes, the officer interviewed the defendant regarding the incident. Between 2:43 and 5:00 a.m., information obtained during the interview was placed in a three-page typewritten statement, which the defendant read, corrected (initialing the corrections) and signed. While defendant's allegations of great quantities of alcohol and drug use are unrefuted, the claimed resulting impairment is in clear conflict with the actions of the defendant and the observations of Officer McPhillips. During this time, the defendant responded to the questions and recalled details of what had transpired during the previous evening. Officer McPhillips denied making any threats of harsh sentence or promise of leniency. Even where evidence is uncontradicted that a defendant was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of police interrogation, other evidence may be sufficient to prove that a knowing and intelligent waiver of rights occurred or that a resulting statement was made voluntarily. Rodgers v. State (1979), 270 Ind. 372, 385 N.E.2d 1136. We find that the trial court's ruling is supported by the evidence. Having found defendant's first confession properly obtained, we need not review whether the second confession was tainted.