Opinion ID: 2103748
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: April 10, 1991, Confession

Text: The defendant claims reversible error occurred with the admission of testimony describing his confession of April 10, 1991. On that date the defendant again initiated an interview, requesting from his jail cell to speak with a detective with whom he had been dealing, saying he wanted to confess to killing Reverend Radcliffe. The detective was called and arrived with a second detective about thirty minutes later. A tape recording was made of the detective reading the defendant his rights and the defendant orally reading the waiver section. The defendant then gestured for the detectives to turn off the tape recorder, which they did. The defendant indicated he wanted to make a complete disclosure and then admitted that it was he, not Weyls, who shot Reverend Radcliffe. The tape recording of the defendant's waiver of rights was not saved by police. The defendant acknowledges that the applicable standard for a voluntary confession is whether, looking at all the circumstances, the confession was free and voluntary, not induced by any violence, threats, promises, or other improper influences. Armour v. State (1985), Ind., 479 N.E.2d 1294, 1298. His argument emphasizes the failure of police to notify his attorney, the failure to retain the tape recording, and his testimony that he felt deprived of the opportunity to visit with his family. From our review of the Record, we conclude that the evidence was sufficient to support the trial court's determination that the State had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the waiver and statement were given voluntarily and were not the product of any violence, threats, promises, or other improper influences.