Opinion ID: 220797
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Brown's Interrogations

Text: Sacramento County Sheriff's Detectives Bill Bayles and Grant Stomsvik picked Brown up on a parole violation on April 12, 2002. After Brown's arrest, Detectives Bayles and Stomsvik interviewed Brown three times. The first interview occurred on April 12, 2002. On that date, Detective Bayles advised Brown of his Miranda rights and began questioning Brown about the homicide in Elk Grove. Brown initially denied being at the Gold Rush Inn the week of the homicide or knowing Victor. The detectives confronted Brown with a surveillance photo of Brown and Victor together at a 7-Eleven store, and Brown admitted that he knew Victor, that he spent time at the Gold Rush Inn, that Victor owed him money for cocaine, and that he had borrowed and wrecked Victor's van. The detectives pushed Brown further to stop lying. They told him that Dante had already identified Brown as Cheryl's shooter and the mastermind of the robbery; Brown denied these allegations. Brown also denied that he was present at the scene of the homicide, claiming instead that he was at his mother's boyfriend's house. Then [t]he detectives told [Brown] they knew he was at the scene of the shootings. Thereafter, [Brown] admitted he followed Dante's car with someone named Anthony who told him they were going to get their money back. When they pulled onto a dark street off Highway 99, everyone got out of the cars except [Brown]. [Brown] heard gunfire and saw sparks coming from Dante's gun. Someone yelled, I missed him or I hit him or He's still alive. [Brown] saw Victor run toward a house, but did not see anyone chase him. [Brown] never saw the woman. Anthony got back in the car, made a U-turn, and dropped [Brown] off at his mother's boyfriend's house. The detectives continued to accuse [Brown] of lying about his involvement in the shooting. They told [Brown] that Victor had identified him as one of the shooters. [Brown] eventually admitted he made up the name Anthony and that Sirrano Haywood drove the car he rode in to the scene of the crime. [Brown] also admitted he got out of the car with Haywood. He said he immediately got back into the car because he was scared and denied he was involved in the shooting. The following exchange occurred near the end of the interrogation: DET. STOMSVIK: [W]hat do you want to do now? You're involved up to your eyeballs in a murder, attempt[ed] robbery. [BROWN]: I wish I can go home and just lay down with mywith my girl. [¶] ... [¶] And hold her stomach and kissand kiss her stomach and talk to my baby through her stomach. Detective Stomsvik did not acknowledge [Brown]'s reference to Jaynelle and his baby. Instead, Stomsvik asked if [Brown] was willing to take a polygraph test. [Brown] stated that he was. Brown took the polygraph on April 15, 2002, while still in police custody: Detective Bayles introduced [Brown] to Jeanie Overall, a polygraph examiner employed by the Attorney General's Office. Overall advised [Brown] of his Miranda rights and explained he could not be forced to take the polygraph. [Brown] affirmatively agreed to speak to Overall and take the polygraph examination. Overall asked [Brown] several questions about his background. In response to a question regarding his marital status, [Brown] stated he was excited that his girlfriend Jaynelle was pregnant with his first child. He said he was hoping [he'd] be there to see her have it. Overall answered, That would be nice, and went on to another question. Later, when Overall asked, What's the best thing that's happened to you in your life? [Brown] responded, Probably my girl being pregnant. Overall turned to a different topic. With respect to the polygraph test, Overall cautioned [Brown]: There's all different types and kinds of polygraph tests that people can take. The one that you're scheduled to take this evening is... termed a specific because it's dealing with a specific thing that's happened. In this case it's the murder of Cheryl Jones.... [¶] ... [¶][T]his is the type or kind of test that this polygraph instrument was originally built and designed for. It's at its utmost accuracy and capability in this type of test. Now due to that, I very straightforwardly advise everybody that comes in with me, if you're not gonna pass your polygraph, do not take it. As long as everything you tell me about this case is one hundred percent the truth, you ought to take the test and show that what you're saying is true.... If somebody really wants to, quote, beat a polygraph, the way to do it is stand up, walk out and don't take the test. Overall explained that based on the results of the polygraph, she would report to the Sheriff's Office if she believed [Brown] was telling the truth. She also confirmed that although her report became part of [Brown]'s permanent case file, the polygraph result could not be used in court. Overall then reiterated, Now, I've been doing homicide polygraphs for a long time, and when I tell you that it requires you to be one hundred percent truthful, I really can't stress that enough. This thing does not measure deception in degrees.... Overall questioned [Brown] about how he got involved in the homicide, and [Brown] repeated the story of his innocent presence at the scene of the shootings. She told [Brown] once more that she would give a report to the people here at the sheriff's office on [his] truthfulness and [his] honesty. During a pretest, [Brown] answered No to the following questions: (1) Did you shoot Cheryl Jones April the 11th in Elk Grove? (2) Did you shoot anyone in Elk Grove [on] the 11th? (3) Do you know where the gun is located that was used to shoot Cheryl Jones? [Brown] responded in the same manner when asked the same questions during the polygraph examination. His responses were the same on the second and third tests. Overall informed [Brown] that the polygraph test showed he was lying when he responded No to the key questions. She continued, [T]here is no way, LaDell, with these charts that I can do anything but report to these detectives here that you're not telling the truth about this shooting. Emphasizing that [Brown] was involved in some heavy stuff, Overall told [Brown], I wish your life could have been different, and I still think you can make it different.... I want you to see thatthat baby be born. I don't know why, but I feel like it's a boy. [Brown] confirmed that someone else had told him the same thing. Overall urged [Brown] to tell her the truth about what happened. I don't know if you don't tell me what the truth is. I'm not a mind reader.... You have a choice you can tell the truth and try to get this mess straightened out and let me go out there and talk to those detectives and try to do whatever I can for you, and I want to tell your side of what happened. I can't do that if you won't tell me. She offered several possible explanations for [Brown]'s involvement as a shooter. . . . . [Brown] offered another version of the events. He said he was tryin' to talk to Victor for nothin' to happen and placed himself between Victor and Cheryl so the two gunmen could not shoot them. According to this account, Cheryl pushed [Brown], causing him to stumble. [Brown] ran to the car when the guns started going off. He repeated he [d]idn't shoot nobody. Overall suggested she could pack up and go home. She told [Brown], The only reason I'm talkin' to you is cuz you got a baby on the way, and I'd like to see you get to be with that baby, and these [detectives] have got a case they have to work. [Brown] said, I wish I could be there for my baby. Overall responded, I want to see you be there for your baby.... I can't get your side of what happened out there if you don't tell me. Do you want me to go get them? Do you want to let it go down like this? Or do you want to do the right thing for yourself, for your girlfriend and for your baby? [Brown] repeated that he wanted to be able to see the baby born. Overall said, Okay. I wantI want that, too.... [¶][W]e need to tell them that. I can't go out there and talk to them for you if you're not going to tell me what happened. [Brown] continued to deny he had a firearm or shot Cheryl. Overall suggested that Victor, a security guard, might have had a gun or tried to hurt [Brown] in some way. [Brown] agreed that Victor charged him and he shot at Victor with the 9-millimeter hand gun to scare him into stopping. [Brown] added he was not trying to hit Victor. He maintained someone else shot Cheryl after she pushed against [Brown]'s shoulder. After admitting that he had shot Victor, [Brown] said, This accident is gonna cost me my life. He told Overall he had lied because he was scared. He continued: Scared for my baby. I want to be there for my baby. I wish I could go to my baby right now.... After asking [Brown] if he had seen Jaynelle since his arrest, she changed the subject and asked if he wanted the detectives to return. Overall summarized the results of the polygraph, and the substance of her interview with [Brown], for Detectives Bayles and Stomsvik. She indicated, [H]e does want to be able to see his baby, and I told him I felt certain that he is gonna be able to. Stomsvik responded, I wouldn't see why not. When Overall left the room, she said: LaDell, good luck to you. You keep tellin' the truth, okay, and you're gonna see that baby. Before continuing the interrogation, Detective Bayles confirmed that [Brown] was going to jail for murder. [Brown] then repeated his story to Bayles and Stomsvik. He maintained he heard gunshots when Cheryl pushed him and caused him to stumble. [Brown] said he tried to shoot at Victor's legs when Victor charged at him. He saw Dante do some shooting and supposed that Sirrano fired some shots. [Brown] denied that he or anyone else followed Victor up to the house after he was shot. [Brown] stated that Dante gave the rifle to Sirrano before they left the scene. At the end of the interrogation, [Brown] asked the detectives for a big favor. He told them he wanted to kiss his girl's stomach and talk to his baby. Detective Bayles responded, Well, you know, you're probably not gonna get to actually touch your girlit's gonna be a while.... We'd be lying if we told you something different. I don't think you're gonna get any kind of contact visit until this whole thing is settled and you're either out oror transferred and locked up where you're gonna be locked up for, you know, more time. I don't think you're gonna get it at the jail you're goin' to here. Brown's third and final interrogation occurred on April 18, 2002, with Detectives Bayles and Stomsvik. After the detectives advised Brown of his Miranda rights, Brown retracted his admissions of April 15. He denied that he had a gun and denied shooting either Victor or Cheryl. He claimed that he gave a false confession because he had heard that Sirrano Haywood had threatened to shoot Jaynelle. Detective Bayles told Brown that he did not believe Brown's retraction, but Brown persisted. Brown admitted that he knew about the robbery plan in advance of its execution but denied that he had a firearm. Detectives Bayles again told Brown that he did not believe Brown's retraction.