Opinion ID: 2423969
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Hubbard was Competent to Waive his Miranda Rights

Text: The State has the burden of showing that not only did Hubbard make an express waiver of his Miranda rights, but that he knowingly and intelligently waived those rights. [26] Hubbard's final argument is that Detective Leccia failed to inquire whether Hubbard was competent to understand the rights he was waiving and the consequences of such a waiver. According to Hubbard, Detective Leccia was under an obligation to inquire into Hubbard's competency after Hubbard admitted to drug and alcohol use the prior night. This Court has recognized that prior intoxication does not, per se, invalidate an otherwise proper waiver of Miranda rights. [27] Instead, the appropriate inquiry is whether [defendant] had sufficient capacity to know what he was saying and to have voluntarily intended to say it. [28] In Howard v. State , this Court found that a defendant, who had been intoxicated nine hours earlier, was sufficiently competent to waive his Miranda rights. [29] In affirming the admission of the defendant's custodial statement in Howard, this Court held that [t]he detailed nature of the statement and his recollection of his arrest belie any suggestion that his mental capacity was impaired when he was questioned. [30] In addition, this Court noted that the defendant's selective admissions and denials in his statement were also indicative of his capacity and intent. [31] Accordingly, in Howard, the defendant was found to have knowingly and intelligently waived his Miranda rights. [32] Similarly, in Hubbard's case, the record reflects that Hubbard possessed the requisite mental capacity to waive his Miranda rights. Hubbard was interrogated at approximately 1:00 p.m. on June 25, 2009 by Detective Leccia. At the start of the interview, Hubbard told Detective Leccia that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol the night prior. That statement was made at the same time in the interview when Hubbard was giving Detective Leccia false accounts of his activities during the prior evening. At no point during the interview did Hubbard claim to be presently under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After reviewing the videotape of the interrogation, the Superior Court found that if [Hubbard] was under the influence, it wasn't affecting his ability to communicate and to understand and appreciate what was going on. The record supports the Superior Court's determination that Hubbard was competent to waive his Miranda rights. [33]