Opinion ID: 1210655
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: APPEAL BY DEFENDANTS JAMES WILLIAM LEAK AND JIMMY LAWRENCE McNEILL

Text: When the trial court finished a long preliminary inquiry in the absence of the jury showing the circumstances under which the extrajudicial confession of George Albert McNeill was made, it continued the preliminary inquiry in the absence of the jury showing the circumstances under which the purported extrajudicial confessions by Leak and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill were made. Leak and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill each have three assignments of error, and they are identical. The first assignment of error by each of them is to the denial of his motion for a separate trial, which motion by each defendant has not been sustained, as stated above. The second assignment of error of Leak is that the trial court erred in finding and concluding that his extrajudicial confession was free and voluntary on his part, and in admitting it in evidence over his objection against him. Jimmy Lawrence McNeill's second assignment of error is identical with Leak's. Deputy Sheriff K. W. O'Neal was examined at length by counsel for Leak, and then by counsel for the State. This is a summary of his testimony: O'Neal, Deputy Sheriff W. D. Chalk, and other officers between 8 and 9 p. m. on 25 February 1965 went to a girl's house in Raleigh, found Leak hiding behind a refrigerator and carried him handcuffed to the detective bureau for questioning. Upon arrival at the detective bureau, he locked Leak in a small room there and kept him there alone for about 45 minutes before he came back to talk with him. At that time no warrant had been taken out for his arrest. In the meantime John Thomas Alston, Jimmy Lawrence McNeill, and George Albert McNeill had been picked up, were in separate rooms at the detective bureau, and had been questioned. When he went to talk to Leak, before questioning him, he told Leak he had a right not to say anything, and that anything he said could be used against him. Leak made no request to use the telephone or any other request. He told Leak the persons he had talked to said they had gone down to Gulley's store and had robbed him, and he wanted to know what he, Leak, had to say about it. He had already talked to John Thomas Alston and George Albert McNeill, and they had confessed to the robbery of Gulley. Then Leak made the confession later admitted in evidence over Leak's objection. Deputy Sheriff Chalk was present when he talked to Leak. After this a warrant was taken out against Leak for the robbery here, and before 11 p. m. the same night he waived a preliminary hearing. After O'Neal testified, Leak testified in his own behalf. We summarize the relevant parts of his testimony: He is 18 years old. He was taken by the officers and carried to the detective bureau about 8:30 p. m. and placed in a small room, where he was kept for about 45 minutes. He was not asked if he wanted to call his family or a lawyer or anyone. While in this room alone he heard a conversation in the next room between detective Bowers and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill. He recognized their voices. McNeill kept saying he did not know anything about it. Bowers was using profanity and saying that if McNeill did not sign he was going to hit him side his head. When Deputy Sheriff O'Neal came into the room where he was, O'Neal asked his name and address, and told him he did not have to tell him anything because he had already been with those other boys in the room, so he did not have to tell him anything if he did not want to. O'Neal told him the other boys said he was with them in the robbery of Mr. Gulley. He said again that he, Leak, did not have to tell him anything if he did not want to. He told O'Neal he had been with the boys on the night of the alleged robbery. He did not tell him there had been a robbery. He did not know there had been a robbery. He did not ask O'Neal to do anything for him. He did not ask O'Neal to let him do anything. He did not ask O'Neal to use the telephone or to call a lawyer or to talk to a lawyer. He did not tell O'Neal he got part of the money. He told O'Neal he went down to Gulley's store but he did not go in the store. He did not tell the officers that Rudolph Hines carried the money tray out of the store, and he did not tell O'Neal that they went back to John Thomas Alston's sister's house and divided the money. He did not tell O'Neal that Alston had a pistol. O'Neal did not hit him. He threatened to hit him, but he did not. After Leak had testified, O'Neal was recalled to the stand and testified in substance as follows: He did not threaten Leak and did not hit him. After the preliminary inquiry in the absence of the jury in respect to the extrajudicial confession of Leak was finished, the trial court then proceeded with the preliminary inquiry in the absence of the jury showing the circumstances under which the purported extrajudicial confession of Jimmy Lawrence McNeill was made. Deputy Sheriff K. W. O'Neal was examined by Jimmy Lawrence McNeill's attorney and also by counsel for the State. This is a summary of his testimony: About 8 p. m. on 25 February 1965 he and other officers carried McNeill handcuffed from his home in the city of Raleigh to the detective bureau. McNeill at the detective bureau was placed in a room near Leak. City officers Bowers and Haley talked to McNeill before he did. Before talking to McNeill about the robbery of Mr. Gulley, he told him, McNeill, he did not have to say anything, and if he did make a statement it might be used against him in court. McNeill did not ask to use the telephone or to call any member of his family or to call a lawyer or anyone. He did not threaten Mc-Neill or offer to hit him. McNeill made the confession to him which was afterwards admitted in evidence over his objection against him. Jimmy Lawrence McNeill on the preliminary inquiry testified in his own behalf. This is a summary of its relevant parts, except when quoted: He was carried to the detective bureau and placed in a room by himself for 45 or 50 minutes. Detective Bowers came in and asked him about the Gulley robbery. He told him he did not know anything about it. Bowers kept on questioning him and said, You going to, all the rest of the boys done confessed I was with them. He told Bowers he was in George Albert McNeill's automobile, but he did not know anything about the robbery. Then Bowers went to reading some things Joe Alston had told him. Bowers talked to him about two cases. He tried to make him sign a piece of paper. He cussed him and told him what he would do to him if he did not sign it. He told me he would hit me side of the head if I didn't sign it. He was talking real loud. He scared me when talking about fighting. Yes, he is a big man. He did not hit me. He was cussing. He talked with both of the deputy sheriffs. Neither one of them threatened him. The detectives were not present when the deputies talked to him. He never told them he robbed Mr. Gulley. He testified: Whatever I told the deputies was voluntary on my part. They didn't force me to say anything.    They were questioning me about the Gulley robbery. The only thing I said about the Gulley robbery was that I was in the car but I didn't know whether anybody robbed the man or not. He told them he was drunk in the automobile. He is 19 years old and has completed the tenth grade. After McNeill had testified, detective J. H. Bowers testified as a witness and was examined and cross-examined by counsel for the State and by counsel for McNeill. This is a summary of the relevant parts of his testimony: During the time he talked with McNeill in a room in the detective bureau of the municipal building, he did not threaten him or offer to hit him or tell him he was going to hit him if he did not confess. He questioned him about a crime committed in the city of Raleigh. He did not speak loud or use any profane or abusive language. He wrote down what Mc-Neill said as to the part he played in the commission of the crime within the city of Raleigh, which had nothing to do with the Gulley robbery. Prior to talking to Mc-Neill, he warned him of his rights and told him to call his folks if he wanted to. He also told him he did not have to make any statement, and that if he made one it could be used against him at a later date. After Jimmy Lawrence McNeill's confession, a warrant was taken out against him for the robbery here, and before 11 p. m. the same night he waived a preliminary hearing. The trial judge found as facts, inter alia, that Leak and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill were each told by the officers that he did not have to make a statement or answer questions unless he desired to do so, and if he did, anything he said could be used later for or against him, that each one of them was not threatened in any way, and he concluded as a matter of law that the confession of each was free and voluntary on his part. These findings of fact above stated are amply supported by the evidence. Leak contends his confession is vitiated because Deputy Sheriff O'Neal testified he told him the persons he had talked to said they had gone down to Gulley's store and had robbed him, and he wanted to known what he, Leak, had to say about it. He relies upon State v. Anderson, supra. The Anderson case is easily distinguishable, in that in this case defendant Overman successfully contended his confession was involuntary because the following appeared from the testimony of D. P. Stewart, a State's witness: I think I told him some of the ones in jail had talked and would talk and he might as well do likewise.    It was not true that anyone in jail had talked.    I believe I told him it would be better for him to go ahead and tell it just like it was and he might as well go ahead and tell it because it was already told. In the instant case it appears that what O'Neal told Leak was true. This statement by O'Neal to Leak under the facts here does not vitiate Leak's confession. See Jackson v. State, 180 Md. 658, 26 A.2d 815; 3 Wigmore on Evidence, 3d ed., § 841 (1); 2 Wharton's Criminal Evidence, 12th ed. by Anderson, § 385. Defendants Leak and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill contend their confessions should have been excluded upon authority of Massiah v. United States, 377 U.S. 201, 84 S.Ct. 1199, 12 L.Ed.2d 246, and Escobedo v. State of Illinois, 378 U.S. 478, 84 S.Ct. 1758, 12 L.Ed.2d 977. In the Escobedo case the accused during interrogation by the officers had repeatedly and in terms asked to see a previously retained lawyer who was in the building when he was being interrogated, and was refused, and in addition the accused was not warned, as were Leak and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill here, of his constitutional right to remain silent. Neither Leak nor Jimmy Lawrence McNeill requested counsel. We do not interpret Escobedo to mean that counsel must immediately be afforded one taken into custody before he is interrogated by officers, under all circumstances, particularly where no counsel is requested, as in the instant case. In our view the Escobedo case does not control here. Ir support of our opinion as to the Escobedo case, see People v. Hartgraves, 31 Ill.2d 375, 202 N.E.2d 33 (1964); Anderson v. State, 237 Md. 45, 205 A.2d 281 (1964); Swartz v. State, 237 Md. 263, 205 A.2d 803 (1965); Bean v. State of Nevada, Nev., 398 P.2d 251 (1965); Pece v. Cox, 74 N.M. 591, 396 P.2d 422 (1964); Commonwealth v. Patrick, 416 Pa. 437, 206 A.2d 295 (1965) ; Browne v. State, 24 Wis. 2d 491, 129 N.W.2d 175, 131 N.W.2d 169 (1964). The facts in the Massiah case are utterly different from the facts here. In Massiah, defendant, after being indicted with other persons for violating the federal narcotics laws, retained a lawyer, pleaded not guilty, and was released on bail. While free on bail, the defendant held a conversation in the absence of his counsel with one of his codefendants while sitting in the latter's automobile, unaware that the codefendant, cooperating with government agents had allowed the installation of a radio transmitter under the front seat of the automobile, by means of which a federal agent listened to the conversation. A majority of the court held that this conversation could not constitutionally be used against him. In our opinion the instant case does not come within the sweep of the Massiah decision. The trial court properly admitted in evidence Leak's extrajudicial confession against him, and Jimmy Lawrence Mc-Neill's extrajudicial confession against him. The third and last assignment of error by Leak is that the trial court erred in finding as a fact and concluding that the confession made by him was voluntarily made without any voir dire examination of Deputy Sheriff Chalk on behalf of him, Leak. Jimmy Lawrence McNeill's last and third assignment of error is identical. The record shows that Chalk was in the courtroom during the trial, because he testified during the preliminary inquiry in the absence of the jury, and later as to the confessions. Neither Leak nor Jimmy Lawrence McNeill asked for permission to examine him. These assignments of error by them are overruled. In the trial of James William Leak and Jimmy Lawrence McNeill, we find No error. The final result is in the trial of the four defendants here we find No error.