Opinion ID: 1922393
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Suppression of Bevel's Confession

Text: Bevel also contends that the trial court erred in admitting his confession because his IQ of 65 was so low that he lacked the mental ability to knowingly and voluntarily waive his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). Before the trial began, Bevel filed a motion to suppress his statements to police, arguing that he fell within the mild range of mentally retarded with a full-scale IQ of 65 and therefore could not have knowingly and voluntarily waived his constitutional rights. The trial court held an evidentiary hearing on the motion to suppress. Detectives Coarsey, Chizik, and Dingee testified regarding Bevel's acknowledgement and waiver of his Miranda rights. Detective Coarsey, who conducted the initial interview and was present for all subsequent questioning through closed-circuit television, inquired as to Bevel's education and whether he was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. Coarsey also asked Bevel if he could read and then had him read the top line of the form out loud. Coarsey then read the constitutional rights form to Bevel, asked if he understood each right after it was read, and had Bevel initial the form next to each right to ensure that he understood. All three detectives confirmed that Bevel never asked to speak to an attorney at any time while being questioned, never said that he wanted to end the discussion with the officers, and was never promised anything in return for his statements. The State also played portions of two videotaped statements, in which Bevel first described being assaulted by two masked men who committed the murders and then went on to ultimately confess. Bevel then presented a letter from Dr. Krop, the defense's psychological expert, who conducted neuropsychological and personality evaluations of Bevel but was unable to attend the hearing. In the letter, Dr. Krop gave a portion of his opinion concerning Bevel's childhood, mental health, and his full-scale IQ score of 65. The trial court also heard the testimony of Dr. William Riebsame, a court-appointed psychologist for the State, who evaluated and administered psychological tests on Bevel. Dr. Riebsame also reviewed Bevel's family history, the videos of his confessions, the letters he wrote while in prison, and the letter from Dr. Krop, and determined that Bevel had a verbal IQ of 75. Dr. Riebsame testified that, although Bevel appears to have a learning disability, shows signs of antisocial disorder, and may need glasses, his IQ was underestimated due to his limited attention span and the lack of effort he put into the exam. The trial court denied the motion to suppress, determining that Bevel was familiar with the Miranda warnings and that, despite his low IQ, the evidence was overwhelming that the defendant made his statements freely, intelligently and voluntarily and knowingly waived his right to remain silent. It is the State's burden to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that a defendant knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his or her Miranda rights. See Ramirez v. State, 739 So.2d 568, 575 (Fla.1999). This Court has set forth a two-step approach governing rulings on motions to suppress, in which the Court must determine whether: (1) competent, substantial evidence supports the trial court's findings of historical fact; and (2) the trial court reached the correct legal conclusion that [a defendant] knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his [or her] Miranda rights. Thomas v. State, 894 So.2d 126, 136 (Fla.2004) (citing Connor v. State, 803 So.2d 598, 608 (Fla.2001)). Certainly, IQ is a relevant factor to be considered in determining the voluntariness of a confession. Ross v. State, 386 So.2d 1191, 1194 (Fla.1980). However, this Court has repeatedly stated that the trial court must look to the totality of the circumstances in determining whether a defendant knowingly waived his or her Miranda rights. See, e.g., Thomas, 894 So.2d at 136. In other words, there is no per se rule that equates a specific level of intelligence with a knowing and intelligent waiver of Miranda rights. In the instant case, two expert opinions were introduced indicating that Bevel's full-scale IQ falls somewhere between 65 and 75, within the mild range of mental retardation. However, Bevel's IQ is but one factor to be considered in determining the voluntariness of his confession. Thompson v. State, 548 So.2d 198, 204 (Fla.1989). Despite his low IQ, the totality of the circumstances, based upon the testimony presented at the hearing as well as a review of the videotaped confessions, indicates that Bevel knowingly and voluntarily waived his Miranda rights. The investigating officers testified that they asked Bevel about his education, confirmed that he did not appear to be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol, and ensured that he could read. The officers then read Bevel the constitutional rights form and received confirmation from Bevel that he understood each right after it was read. In fact, Bevel initialed the form next to each right to ensure that he understood. See Thomas, 894 So.2d at 136 (Although a written statement is neither necessary nor by itself sufficient to establish waiver, it is strong proof that a waiver is valid.) (citing North Carolina v. Butler, 441 U.S. 369, 373, 99 S.Ct. 1755, 60 L.Ed.2d 286 (1979)). Additionally, Dr. Riebsame confirmed that Bevel could understand language fairly well and that he had an adequate vocabulary as evidenced by the letters he wrote to his girlfriend from prison. He also could not identify any areas of deficiency in terms of adaptive behavior that would suggest mental retardation. The testimony adduced at the hearing confirms that Bevel was never coerced, influenced, or pressured into making any statements. And, as noted by the trial court, Bevel never requested to speak to an attorney or otherwise indicated that he did not wish to speak with the officers even though he had had past experiences with police interrogation. See Carter v. State, 697 So.2d 529, 534 (Fla. 1st DCA 1997) (noting that prior experience with law enforcement is one factor in determining whether a waiver is knowing and voluntary); see also State v. Crosby, 599 So.2d 138, 142 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992) (same). Although Bevel's full-scale IQ is low, there is competent, substantial evidence in the record to the support the trial court's findings, and we conclude that the trial court properly found that he understood his rights and voluntarily waived them. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court's denial of the motion to suppress.