Opinion ID: 587744
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Motion to Suppress--Defendant Slater

Text: 51 After a hearing to address Mr. Slater's motion to suppress statements made when he was arrested, the district court held the statements were freely and voluntarily made based on its finding the arresting officer properly advised him of his rights at least twice, and Mr. Slater agreed to talk to officers without an attorney present. Mr. Slater now contends these post-arrest incriminating statements were the product of coercion and physical violence and urges we find them per se inadmissible under United States v. Jenkins, 938 F.2d 934, 938-39 (9th Cir.1991). The government asserts such an analysis is inappropriate under both the facts of this case and the law. Neither party addresses Arizona v. Fulminante, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 1246, 113 L.Ed.2d 302 (1991) (in the absence of allegations of physical violence on behalf of the police, admission of an involuntary confession is subject to harmless error analysis). 52 The record of the hearing on Mr. Slater's motion to suppress focuses predominantly on whether he was, in fact, given an appropriate Miranda warning and on officers' perceptions of Mr. Slater's willingness to talk in the hope of his making a deal. The testimony surely paints the chase preceding his arrest as a confrontation charged with adrenaline, capped by arresting officers physically pulling the defendant through his car window. Although Mr. Slater testified to being beaten by at least six or eight officers, defense counsel never questioned government witnesses about the use of force. Instead, each officer testified only that Mr. Slater was eager to make a deal, hoping to exchange the information about his Houston contacts for more favorable treatment. 53 While the factual underpinning of the district court's ruling on the motion to suppress is subject to review for clear error, United States v. Chalan, 812 F.2d 1302, 1307-08 (10th Cir.1987), we review de novo the ultimate issue of whether defendant's statements were voluntarily made. United States v. Short, 947 F.2d 1445, 1449 (10th Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1680, 118 L.Ed.2d 397 (1992). Because the government met its burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the statements were voluntary, Lego v. Twomey, 404 U.S. 477, 489, 92 S.Ct. 619, 627, 30 L.Ed.2d 618 (1972), we view the evidence presented at the hearing in the light most favorable to the government. United States v. Falcon, 766 F.2d 1469, 1476 (10th Cir.1985). 54 Despite the highly charged circumstances of the arrest, we cannot say the district court erred in concluding Mr. Slater freely offered information to arresting officers. This conclusion is guided by a variety of other factors such as defendant's intelligence and education, the length of the detention, the prolonged nature of the questioning, the recitation of Miranda rights, and whether actual physical abuse occurred. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 226, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 2047, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973). 55 We note Mr. Slater attended Kansas State University for three years where he played varsity basketball. He was questioned briefly after his arrest and later at length at the Kansas City Police Department where, as a sign of good faith in dealing with the government, he consented to the search of his residence. Although certain officers hit or kicked the defendant once he was apprehended, that physical abuse, given the totality of other circumstances, did not overcome his will. The facts of this case are therefore readily discernible from those in United States v. Jenkins, 938 F.2d 934 (9th Cir.1991), upon which Mr. Slater relies in urging us to adopt a per se rule. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, the court balanced the evidence, weighed it, and properly held the statements do not offend the Fifth Amendment and were admissible at trial. In addition, the court instructed the jury, in part, in Instruction No. 26, If the evidence in the case does not convince you beyond a reasonable doubt that an admission or incriminating statement was made voluntarily and intentionally, the jury should disregard it entirely.