Opinion ID: 2634399
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Defendant's interviews with the police

Text: After reading defendant his Miranda rights ( Miranda v. Arizona, supra, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694), Fresno Police Department Detective Tom Sanchez conducted a taped interview of defendant shortly after the latter's arrest on February 18, 1991, and, at defendant's request, conducted a second taped interview on the following day. The prosecution played the audiotape recordings of these interviews for the jury, which also was provided with transcripts of the interviews. Copies of these transcripts are included in the record before us. During the first interview, Sanchez informed defendant that he was under arrest for murder and that other individuals had placed defendant at the scene of the murder. Although defendant initially declined to provide a statement, and Sanchez terminated the interview, defendant volunteered to speak a few moments later. He thereafter acknowledged having slapped the shit out of Michael Beckham and having consensual sex with Michael's wife, Rosanna, but denied coercing her into prostitution or robbing, beating, or murdering anyone. He claimed the other witnesses falsely had accused him and Franklin, attempting to make scapegoats of them, and characterized their allegations concerning his involvement in the robberies as a fucking lie. Defendant asserted the injuries to his hands were old injuries incurred at a party in Vallejo when some fool pull[ed] out his knife and I grabbed it. [7] Defendant acknowledged knowing that Miguel Gonzalez was in the trunk of the Monte Carlo, but denied knowledge of what had happened to Gonzalez thereafter, stating: I don't know what the fuck happened.... I'm going to tell you [the] straight up truth. I don't remember dumping nobody off period. He characterized the interrogating officer's version of the events as some crazy shit, adding that I know damn well I didn't do a goddamn thing. Defendant asserted: I didn't harm anybody. I didn't dump anybody off neither.... Me and Jerry are being used for scapegoats, fuck that. Defendant denied touching the hydraulic jack, knowing anything about the tire rim, or driving the vehicle to the orchard. He subsequently recanted the latter denial, stating that when he did exit the vehicle at the orchard, it was only to urinate. He claimed the only fucking thing I ought to be charged with is joy riding, cause that's the only fucking crime I've committed. Asked to explain how the victim's wallet came to be located in the pants defendant was wearing when apprehended by the police, defendant denied the pants were his own. He claimed to have been shocked when the police discovered the wallet, adding: Because, I don't really know if the bitch gave it to me after she got her money from it or not, okay, and see, ... I am foggy on that right now.... Defendant asserted that the bloodstains on the pants he wore were [f]rom getting the ... battery cables. During the second interview, conducted at defendant's request on February 19, 1991, defendant again generally attempted to deny or minimize his involvement in the crimes. For example, he denied speaking with Michael Beckham's mother on the telephone in an effort to obtain money, denied knowing how Rosanna Beckham received the wound to her forehead, denied wearing gloves on the night the crimes occurred, and again denied knowing how Miguel Gonzalez's wallet appeared in the pants defendant was wearing when the police arrested him. Defendant portrayed Dustin as a key actor in the crimes: I don't know if Kenny [Dustin] is trying to turn State's evidence or whatever, you know, I really don't give a fuck because he's implicated worse than anybody else.... Defendant asserted that Dustin took the tire rim from Gonzalez's vehicle, and added that Dustin was beating the shit out of the guy with that fucking mag wheel, you know. And that's where I was saying, man, you know, that's unnecessary. Defendant asserted that he had been content to leave Gonzalez alive in the orchard and let, the victim walk back to Sacramento, but that Dustin wanted to knock the man unconscious again and I didn't think all that was necessary. You know, I mean, the man's out there. He's already bleeding. Leave him alone. Defendant described scuffling with Dustin, because the latter was fucking with the dude [Gonzalez]. I didn't think it was warranted.... Defendant added, I didn't commit no motherfucking murder, you know, I may have been there. He called Dustin a liar who was seeking to exonerate himself by blaming defendant, describing him as a goddamned liar, you know. He wants to keep it off himself, fine.... Really can't blame the motherfucker [Dustin] but I know damn well I'm not getting ready to let him just send me down the drain for something I didn't do. Contradicting the statement he gave during the previous day's interview, defendant acknowledged participating in the robbery of Gonzalez. When Sanchez stated, what you're telling me is that you're guilty of everything that's gone on, except for murder, defendant agreed, saying, I didn't do anything harmful to that man [Gonzalez] other than pulling him out of the car. Defendant added, okay, yes. I was there. Fuck it. I'm accessory to every one of those fucking robberies. [8]