Opinion ID: 1678594
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Voluntariness of the Statement

Text: Appellant argues that the trial court erred in ruling that his statement was voluntary. He argues that his statement was the product of police coercion and promises that he could get a bond if he cooperated. He argues that the totality of the circumstances surrounding his statement, including his age, his learning disability and low I.Q., and the fact that he was not allowed to contact his mother, demonstrate that the statement was not voluntary. We disagree. We recently outlined the law regarding the voluntariness of a confession in Davis v. State, 330 Ark. 76, 83-84, 953 S.W.2d 559, 562-63 (1997): A custodial confession is presumptively involuntary and the burden is on the State to show that the waiver and confession was voluntarily made. Clark v. State, 328 Ark. 501, 944 S.W.2d 533 (1997). In examining the voluntariness of confessions, this court makes an independent determination based on the totality of the circumstances, and reverses the trial court only if its decision was clearly erroneous. Kennedy v. State, 325 Ark. 3, 923 S.W.2d 274 (1996). As explained in Mauppin v. State, 309 Ark. 235, 831 S.W.2d 104 (1992), the inquiry into the validity of the defendant's waiver has two separate components: whether the waiver was voluntary, and whether the waiver was knowingly and intelligently made. In determining voluntariness, we consider the following factors: age, education, and intelligence of the accused, lack of advice as to his constitutional rights, length of detention, the repeated and prolonged nature of questioning, or the use of physical punishment. Hood v. State, 329 Ark. 21, 947 S.W.2d 328 (1997). Other relevant factors in considering the totality of the circumstances include the statements made by the interrogating officer and the vulnerability of the defendant. Id. In addition, the accused must have a full awareness of both the nature of the right being abandoned and the consequences of the decision to abandon it in order for his waiver to be knowingly and intelligently made. Esmeyer v. State, 325 Ark. 491, 930 S.W.2d 302 (1996). When testimony on the circumstances surrounding the taking of a custodial confession is conflicting, it is the trial court's province to weigh the evidence and resolve the credibility of the witnesses. Noble v. State, 319 Ark. 407, 892 S.W.2d 477 (1995). The fact that the defendant is not a stranger to the criminal justice system is a factor that may be considered in weighing the totality of the circumstances. Misskelley v. State, 323 Ark. 449, 915 S.W.2d 702, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 117 S.Ct. 246, 136 L.Ed.2d 174 (1996). Appellant presented testimony that he had been placed in special education because he had a learning disability. Tests performed by a psychologist revealed that he has a full-scale I.Q. of 81 and a performance or functioning I.Q. of 86. His reading comprehension level is between the third and fourth grade. While age and mental capacity are factors to consider, standing alone they are not sufficient to suppress a confession. Misskelley, 323 Ark. 449, 915 S.W.2d 702. Likewise, a defendant's low I.Q. score does not mean that he is incapable of voluntarily making a confession or waiving his rights. Id. This court affirmed the admission of Misskelley's confession notwithstanding that he had an I.Q. of 72 and read at a third-grade level. Considering the totality of the circumstances, we conclude that Appellant's confession was voluntarily given. He was advised of his constitutional rights four separate times, and he indicated that he understood his rights. He agreed to waive his right to remain silent on three of those four occasions. The first interview lasted no more than two hours, after which they took a break to retrieve the murder weapon. The second interview lasted only forty minutes. The total length of detention from the time of his arrest to his confession was less than six hours. As stated in the previous point, there was no credible evidence, beyond Appellant's testimony, that the officers threatened or coerced him or promised him any special treatment in exchange for his statement. The evidence about his I.Q. and learning disability does not rise to the level of supporting the conclusion that Appellant was incapable of voluntarily making a statement, especially in light of the fact that only a couple of weeks before, he had been advised of his rights and had agreed to waive them and give a statement. This demonstrates that he was no stranger to the criminal justice system. We thus affirm the trial court's ruling to admit the confession.