Opinion ID: 323699
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: rybka's appeal

Text: 12 As already stated, Rybka argues that the confession he gave to the F.B.I. agents was obtained in violation of his Fifth Amendment privilege against self incrimination. Rybka was 16 years old. He was questioned by F.B.I. Special Agent Gamber, who was accompanied by Special Agent Roberts. The questioning took place at the Rybka home in the presence of his mother. 13 Upon arrival at the Rybka residence, the agents identified themselves and handed the juvenile a form advising him of his rights, containing the customary Miranda warning. Rybka read a part of the warning aloud. He was then instructed to read its entire contents, whereupon he told the agents that he understood the warning but agreed to answer questions anyway. He signed the customary waiver form. 14 Rybka at first denied any part in the bank burglary but very quickly thereafter admitted his participation. This admission, however, was made after Agent Gamber had told Rybka that it would be in his 'best interest' to tell the 'real story' and that telling a lie might result in his being left 'holding the bag'. 15 Rybka testified that Agent Gamber had told him that 'it will be a hell of a lot easier if you own up to it' and that if he (Rybka) did 'own up to it', he might get off on probation. Rybka claimed that he had been questioned for at least 5 minutes before receiving the Miranda warning. The District Court credited the agent's version of the interrogation. 16 The issue is whether telling Rybka that (1) it would be in 'his best interest' to tell the 'real story' and (2) that telling a lie might result in his being left 'holding the bag' foreclosed, as a matter of law, the voluntariness of his confession. 17 Rybka says that he was offered an inducement to incriminate himself, that some hope of reward was held out to him and that even the slightest inducement is prohibited, citing Bram v. United States, 168 U.S. 532, 18 S.Ct. 183, 42 L.Ed. 568 (1897). 18 In Bram, Mr. Justice (later Chief Justice) White quoted with approval the following language from 3 Russell on Crime 478 (6th ed.). 19 'But a confession, in order to be admissible, must be free and voluntary; that is, must not be extracted by any sort of threats or violence, nor obtained by any direct or implied promises, however slight, nor by the exertion of any improper influence . . .. A confession can never be received in evidence where the prisoner has been influenced by any threat or promise; for the law cannot measure the force of the influence used, or decide upon its effect upon the mind of the prisoner, and therefore excludes the declaration if any degree of influence has been exerted.' 168 U.S. at 542, 543, 18 S.Ct. at 187. 20 At a later point (168 U.S. at 549, 18 S.Ct. 183) the opinion stated that whether a confession is voluntary is primarily one of fact, and therefore every case must depend upon its own proof. 21 Undoubtedly, there may be circumstances when an admonition to the accused to tell the truth may render a subsequent statement inadmissible but it is now clearly the law that ordinarily such an admonition does not furnish sufficient inducement to render objectionable a confession thereby obtained unless threats or promises are brought into play, Martin v. United States, 4 Cir., 1948, 166 F.2d 76. 22 In Rivers v. United States, 5 Cir., 1968, 400 F.2d 935, a government agent was interviewing a suspect. He displayed a statute (18 U.S.C., Section 1001) dealing with the penalties for making a false statement. We held that there was no Fifth Amendment infirmity in this warning to tell the truth: 23 'This use of 1001 merely emphasized that if Appellant was going to say anything, he had best tell the truth. No one made any intimation that Appellant had a duty to speak or that the statute placed such a duty upon him. Nothing in the statute was used as a coercive instrument to get Appellant to talk or confess. With Miranda awareness of his rights to remain silent, to have counsel, and his willingness to talk, he had no constitutional right to lie and an officer's admonition to tell the truth, whether based on morals or even misguided notions of statutory prohibitions, does not of itself measure up to a paradoxical breach of the Constitution or coercive pressure rendering the statement involuntary.' 400 F.2d at 943. 24 We think the same reasoning applies to the statement that a lie might leave Rybka 'holding the bag'. He had already been informed that he did not have to speak at all, either truthfully or falsely, and he was further informed that he could stop talking any time he chose. 25 While it is true that Rybka was only 16 years of age and the agents did not ascertain that his mother understood his constitutional rights, the District Court was nevertheless entitled to consider that the interview was conducted in the defendant's home and not at the station house, that it was done in the presence of his mother, that Rybka read the Miranda warning and said that he understood it, that Rybka signed a waiver form, and neither he nor his mother ever denied at any time that they understood the rights as explained by the F.B.I. agents and the Miranda warning. 26 Our independent review of the 'totality of the circumstances' leaves us in no doubt that the findings of the District Court as to the voluntary character of Rybka's confession are strongly supported by the evidence and are not due to be disturbed on appeal.