Opinion ID: 151087
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Officer Major's Testimony in Suppression Hearing

Text: On March 9, 2000, Hall filed a motion to suppress his audiotaped confession, arguing it was involuntary, coerced, and made without a knowing and intelligent waiver of his right to counsel. Hall alleged that his parents were not permitted to be present and that the officers obtained his confession through [p]sychological ploys, threats and promises, fatigue and physical violence in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The state trial court held a suppression hearing. Six witnesses testified, including Officer Major, Hall's father, and Hall. Officer Major testified about his investigation and about Leak's and Hall's statements. After Leak implicated Hall, Officer Major went to Hall's house and arrested him. Officer Major advised Hall of the crimes he was being arrested for but did not question Hall at his house or read his Miranda rights then. Hall's mother and father were present at Hall's house and observed Hall's arrest. At the police station, Hall was taken to Officer Major's office to be read his Miranda rights and questioned. Hall's left arm was handcuffed to the desk, which Officer Major testified was standard procedure. Hall's right hand was free. Before any questioning, Officer Major read Hall both his state juvenile rights and his adult Miranda rights forms. [3] Officer Major testified that he also gave Hall an opportunity to read the forms on his own. Hall read and signed both forms, confirming he understood his rights and agreed to answer questions. The content of the state juvenile rights form made it clear Hall had a right to remain silent, a right to counsel, and a right to communicate with his parent before questioning as follows: Before asking you any questions, I must explain to you that you can remain silent, that anything you say can be used against you in court, that you can talk to a lawyer first, and that you have the right to the advice and presence of a lawyer even though you cannot afford to hire one. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer and want to have one present during interrogation, the court will appoint one before we question you. If you want to answer questions now before youif you want to answer now, you can do so, but stop answering at any time. You have the right to communicate with your parent or guardian before questioning and, if necessary, reasonable means will be provided for you to do so. (Emphasis added). Officer Major signed the form to indicate that he had read this paragraph to Hall. The form also contained this paragraph that Hall read aloud to Officer Major, and which Officer Major then read back to him, stating Hall was willingly answering questions and knew what he was doing: I fully understand the foregoing statement and do willingly agree to answer questions. I understand and know what I am doing. No promise or threats have been made to me by anyone and no pressure of any kind has been made against me by anyone. Hall also signed below this paragraph indicating he had read it. The state juvenile rights form was dated October 17, 1999 and indicated that Officer Major read the form to Hall at 5:42 p.m. Out of an abundance of caution, Officer Major then also read aloud, and Hall also signed, the adult Miranda rights form at 5:44 p.m. The only difference between the state juvenile rights form and the adult Miranda rights form was that the adult form did not contain this sentence: You have the right to communicate with your parent or guardian before questioning. If necessary, reasonable means will be provided for you to do so. Otherwise, the forms were the same. During trial, Officer Major testified that after Hall signed the forms waiving his state juvenile rights and his Miranda rights at 5:42 p.m. and 5:44 p.m., respectively, and before taking Hall's taped statement at 7:06 p.m., Officer Major and Hall sat there and generally talked, and Officer Major then jotted a few things down and went and talked to his supervisor. Paperwork was also completed in the intervening time. When the audiotaping began at 7:06 p.m., Officer Major again read both the state juvenile rights and adult Miranda rights. On the audiotape, Hall again said that he understood both his state juvenile rights and his adult Miranda rights. Officer Major testified that Hall said yes, sir to both his juvenile rights, because I read both of them on tape to him, and he said yes, sir to his adult rights as well. They were both read to him. At the end of the confession, Hall again confirmed on audiotape that he had twice been advised of his state juvenile rights and adult Miranda rights by Officer Major, and that he understood them. Hall also stated that no threats had been made to him. The audiotape of the statement began at 7:06 p.m. and ended at 7:26 p.m. [4] Officer Major testified that Hall's father wanted to come to the police station and was at the police station but did not ask to be in the room during the questioning. [5] According to Officer Major, Hall himself never asked for his father to be in the room with him. Officer Major did not ask Hall's father if he wanted to come in. During the suppression hearing, Hall's attorney asked Officer Major whether, at the time of Hall's arrest at his home, Hall's father said he wanted to be present for the questioning. Officer Major responded the father said he wanted to be present but the fact remains that the son, after being read his rights, never asked for his father or an attorney: I don't remember . . . [the father's] exact words. I know he said he wanted to be present; therefore, I told him how to get to police headquarters. He came down. The fact remains, when his son was read his Miranda rights, he did not ask for his father. He did not ask for his mother. He did not ask for an attorney. He didn't ask for anybody. All he said was, yes, sir, I understand. Do you want to answer questions now? Yes, sir. That's all that happened. Officer Major later testified that he went outside and walked by Hall's father sitting on a bench, and Officer Major did not recall Hall's father saying anything to him. Neither Officer Major nor anyone else made any promises or threats to Hall. They did not coerce or trick Hall into making a statement. [6] In summary, Officer Major read Hall his state juvenile rights at 5:42 p.m. and adult Miranda rights at 5:44 p.m. Hall then read them himself. The officers then questioned Hall for a little over an hour, during which time Hall confessed. The officers then audiotaped Hall's confession from 7:06 p.m. to 7:26 p.m., which included Officer Major's second reading of Hall's state juvenile rights and adult Miranda rights at the beginning of the audiotape and an additional confirmation by Hall at the end of the audiotape that he twice had been read both his state juvenile rights and adult Miranda rights. This means within a space of one hour and 15 minutes, Officer Major told Hall out loud four times that he had a right to remain silent and a right to counsel and twice that he had a right to have his parent present before questioning. Hall read his rights too and twice said he understood them. According to Officer Major, Hall waived his rights before confessing and did not request his father's presence during questioning.