Opinion ID: 2613144
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Statements Made By David Haurey And Sean McEnany

Text: The issue with respect to the statements made by David Haurey and Sean McEnany is whether they were made as the products of custodial interrogation prior to advisement of their rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). Under Miranda, a person cannot be subjected to custodial police interrogation unless and until that person has been advised of certain constitutional rights and has waived those rights. Id. at 444-45, 86 S.Ct. at 1612; People v. Hopkins, 774 P.2d 849, 851 (Colo.1989). The suspect must be adequately informed that he has a right not to say anything, that what he does say can be used against him in court, that he has the right to the presence of an attorney, and that if he cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for him prior to questioning if he so desires. Hopkins, 774 P.2d at 851. A statement obtained in violation of the Miranda requirements is not admissible as evidence in a criminal case. Miranda, 384 U.S. at 476, 86 S.Ct. at 1629; Jones v. People, 711 P.2d 1270, 1275 (Colo. 1986); People v. Aalbu, 696 P.2d 796, 807 (Colo.1985). To determine whether a statement was obtained in a manner consistent with the dictates of Miranda, a court must resolve two issues: Was the person making the statement in custody at the time, and was the statement the product of police interrogation? People v. Hamilton, 831 P.2d 1326, 1330-31 (Colo.1992); People v. Algien, 180 Colo. 1, 6, 501 P.2d 468, 470 (1972). A person is `in custody' not only when the person has been subjected to the constraints associated with a formal arrest, but also when a police interrogation is conducted under circumstances where the person interrogated has been deprived of his freedom of action in a significant way. Hamilton, 831 P.2d at 1330 (citing Miranda, 384 U.S. at 476-77, 86 S.Ct. at 1629); accord People v. LaFrankie, 858 P.2d 702, 705-06 (Colo.1993). The test for whether a person is in custody is an objective one: whether a reasonable person in the position of the suspect would have considered himself deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way. Hamilton, 831 P.2d at 1330; Algien, 180 Colo. at 7, 501 P.2d at 471. To determine a reasonable person's belief, a court must evaluate the totality of the circumstances under which the questioning occurred, including such factors as the following: The time, place and purpose of the encounter; the persons present during the interrogation; the words spoken by the officer to the defendant; the officer's tone of voice and general demeanor; the length and mood of the interrogation; whether any limitation of movement or other form of restraint was placed on the defendant during the interrogation; the officer's response to any questions asked by the defendant; whether directions were given to the defendant during the interrogation; and the defendant's verbal or nonverbal response to such directions. People v. Horn, 790 P.2d 816, 818 (Colo. 1990) (quoting Jones v. People, 711 P.2d 1270, 1275-76 (Colo.1986)); People v. Thiret, 685 P.2d 193, 203 (Colo.1984). See also 1 Wayne R. LaFave & Jerold H. Israel, Criminal Procedure § 6.6 at 108-09 (1991 Supp.) (discussing the application of custody standards in the context of investigatory stops). Whether a person was in custody as a result of being deprived of his freedom of action in a significant way is a question of fact, which must be resolved by the trial court. People v. Horn, 790 P.2d at 818; People v. Johnson, 671 P.2d 958, 962 (Colo. 1983). The trial court's determination will be upheld on appeal if supported by competent evidence and based on application of the correct legal standard. People v. Horn, 790 P.2d at 818. The district court determined that both Sean McEnany and David Haurey were under arrest from the time that Officer Swanson first shined his flashlight on them and directed them not to move. The court specifically rejected the prosecutor's argument that those two defendants were subjected only to an investigatory stop [3] at that time. The record, however, reflects that those defendants were not placed under arrest until later. Although the district court's ruling may contain the implication that the initial arrest was a detention sufficiently restrictive to meet the standards for custody for Miranda purposes, there is no indication that the district court considered those standards in relation to those two defendants. In order to resolve the uncertainties, it is necessary to remand the case to the district court with directions to determine the custody issue, applying proper standards. Miranda does not prohibit the evidentiary use of unsolicited statements made by a person in custody prior to a proper advisement even though such statements are incriminating. Only statements made as a result of police interrogation, without the requisite advisement and waiver, are subject to suppression. Prohibited interrogation extends not only to direct questioning but also to its functional equivalent. Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, 300-01, 100 S.Ct. 1682, 1689-90, 64 L.Ed.2d 297 (1980); People v. Sharpless, 807 P.2d 590, 591 (Colo.1991). That is, interrogation refers not only to express questioning, but also to any words or actions on the part of the police (other than those normally attendant to arrest and custody) that the police should know are reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response from the suspect. Innis, 446 U.S. at 301, 100 S.Ct. at 1690. Accord Sharpless, 807 P.2d at 591; People v. Lowe, 200 Colo. 470, 474, 616 P.2d 118, 122 (1980). The district court suppressed statements made by David Haurey and Sean McEnany in response to questions. The court ruled, however, that [s]tatements made by them that were not in response to questionsand there were someare not suppressed. The court did not identify particular statements as falling in one category or the other, nor is the evidence so clear as to make such classification apparent from the record. As a result, it is necessary to remand the case to the district court so that it may apply the proper standards with respect to interrogation and may identify the statements suppressed as a result of the application of those standards. In determining the admissibility of any statements made by David Haurey or Sean McEnany following a statement resulting from constitutionally impermissible custodial interrogation, the district court should consider the standards discussed in cases such as Oregon v. Elstad, 470 U.S. 298, 105 S.Ct. 1285, 84 L.Ed.2d 222 (1984); Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 484, 83 S.Ct. 407, 415, 9 L.Ed.2d 441 (1963); and People v. Briggs, 709 P.2d 911, 916 and 916 n. 7 (Colo.1985). In the absence of findings and conclusions by the district court concerning the specific statements and the circumstances in which they were made, we elect not to address this matter in further detail.