Opinion ID: 1690495
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Counsel at the line-up

Text: The officers conducting the lineup were aware of the fact that defendant had retained counsel and they made reasonable efforts to contact him so that he could attend the line-up; however, defense counsel asserts he did not receive the message because he was elsewhere at the time. In view of retained counsel's absence an attorney was appointed to assist and advise defendant at the line-up. Appointed counsel did therefore attend the line-up. Absence of retained counsel at a pre-indictment line-up does not deprive the defendant of rights which would warrant reversal of his conviction. Neither the federal nor state constitution guarantees the accused the right to counsel at a pre-indictment line-up. Kirby v. Illinois, 406 U.S. 682, 92 S.Ct. 1877, 32 L.Ed.2d 411 (1972); State v. Taylor, 347 So.2d 172 (La.1977). While recognizing the doctrine of these cases, counsel seeks to invoke the rule of Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 U.S. 478, 84 S.Ct. 1758, 12 L.Ed.2d 977 (1964) holding that when the process shifts from investigatory to accusatory our adversary system begins to operate and at that time the accused is entitled to a lawyer. The rule of Escobedo is not pertinent to the facts in this case. The line-up being conducted was investigatory in character, prior to indictment. Furthermore, the Escobedo rule is intended to apply to confessions and inculpatory statements, not to line-up identifications. The decisions in Kirby v. Illinois, supra, and State v. Taylor, supra, fix the rule to be applied to line-ups.