Opinion ID: 1706565
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Arizona v. Roberson

Text: We take notice that Willie did not raise the Arizona v. Roberson argument in his motion to suppress at the pre-trial suppression hearing or at trial. Generally, we will not review an objection raised for the first time on appeal. Thornhill v. State, 561 So.2d 1025, 1029 (Miss. 1990). Despite this general rule, we address this issue as it affects Willie's fundamental rights. See Gray v. State, 549 So.2d 1316, 1321 (Miss. 1989). Prior to Willie's arrest for robbery and murder, Willie had been charged with grand larceny. Counsel was appointed for Willie on this charge. Willie is mistaken in his assertion that this appointment of counsel was an assertion of his fifth amendment right to counsel. The appointment of counsel was an assertion of his Sixth Amendment right. See McNeil v. Wisconsin, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 111 S.Ct. 2204, 2206, 115 L.Ed.2d 158 (1991). In McNeil v. Wisconsin, ___ U.S. at ___, 111 S.Ct. at 2207-09, the United States Supreme Court found that the Sixth Amendment right was offense-specific and could not be invoked once for all future prosecutions. McNeil, ___ U.S. at ___, 111 S.Ct. at 2207-09. The Court noted that the purpose of the Sixth Amendment counsel guarantee is to `protect[ing] the unaided layman at critical confrontations' with his `expert adversary,' the government, after `the adverse positions of government and defendant have solidified' with respect to a particular alleged crime. United States v. Gouveia, 467 U.S. [180], at 189 [104 S.Ct. 2292 at 2298, 81 L.Ed.2d 146]. The purpose of the Miranda-Edwards guarantee, on the other hand ... is to protect ... the suspect's `desire to deal with the police only through counsel.' Edwards v. Arizona , 451 U.S. [477], at 484 [101 S.Ct. 1880, at 1885, 68 L.Ed.2d 378]. McNeil, ___ U.S. at ___, 111 S.Ct. at 2207-09. The Court then found that requesting the assistance of counsel at arraignment is not the equivalent of expressing a desire for the assistance of an attorney in dealing with custodial interrogation by the police.  McNeil, ___ U.S. at ___, 111 S.Ct. at 2209. We agree. If a defendant has not asserted his Fifth Amendment right to counsel, the fact that he is appointed counsel to protect his Sixth Amendment right does not preclude interrogation on unrelated offenses. As long as the defendant is given his Miranda warnings and makes a knowing and voluntary waiver, then any statements obtained during the interrogation are admissable. Willie has not shown that he asserted his Fifth Amendment right to counsel while he was in custody on the charge of grand larceny. Therefore, we conclude that his Sixth Amendment appointment of counsel was not an assertion of his Fifth Amendment right, and this assignment is without merit. Assuming a prior assertion of Willie's Fifth Amendment right to counsel, if Willie had remained in continuous custody on the grand larceny charge, the authorities could not have interrogated Willie about the unrelated murder and robbery in the absence of counsel, unless Willie initiated the communications, exchanges or conversations with the police. Minnick v. Mississippi, ___ U.S. ___, 111 S.Ct. 486, 491, 112 L.Ed.2d 489 (1991); Arizona v. Roberson, 486 U.S. 675, 680-81, 108 S.Ct. 2093, 2097, 100 L.Ed.2d 704 (1988); see also, Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 484-85, 101 S.Ct. 1880, 1885, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1981). A problem would then arise in Willie's argument because Willie was not in continuous custody. Willie had been released from custody on the grand larceny charge, and he did not request counsel when he was taken into custody for driving an unlicensed vehicle. While in custody for the vehicle violation, Willie was questioned by authorities about the murder and robbery after waiving his Miranda rights. We have not heretofore considered whether the rule in Edwards v. Arizona, supra , or Arizona v. Roberson, supra , applies when an accused does not remain in continuous custody. A number of foreign jurisdictions have considered this issue, and virtually all have concluded that Edwards and Roberson do not apply when custody has not been continuous. See, e.g., Dunkins v. Thigpen, 854 F.2d 394, 397 (11th Cir.1988), cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1059, 109 S.Ct. 1329, 103 L.Ed.2d 597 (1989); McFadden v. Garraghty, 820 F.2d 654, 661 (4th Cir.1987); United States v. Fairman, 813 F.2d 117, 125 (7th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 483 U.S. 1010, 107 S.Ct. 3240, 97 L.Ed.2d 745 (1987); United States v. Skinner, 667 F.2d 1306, 1309 (9th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 463 U.S. 1229, 103 S.Ct. 3569, 77 L.Ed.2d 1410 (1983) (pre- Roberson ); Wilson v. State, 573 So.2d 77, 79 (Fla.App. 2 Dist. 1990); State v. Furlough, 797 S.W.2d 631, 640 (Tenn.Cr.App. 1990); State v. Stewart, 113 Wash.2d 462, 780 P.2d 844, 852 (1989), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 1327, 108 L.Ed.2d 502 (1990) (dicta); People v. Trujillo, 773 P.2d 1086, 1091-92 (Colo. 1989); State v. Norris, 244 Kan. 326, 768 P.2d 296, 301-02 (1989); State In Interest of Wells, 532 So.2d 191, 196 (La. App. 1988). The rationale behind these decisions generally is that a non-contrived, non-pretextual break in custody where the defendant has reasonable opportunity to contact his attorney dissolves an Edwards or Roberson claim. See, e.g., People v. Trujillo, 773 P.2d at 1092 [citing Dunkins v. Thigpen, 854 F.2d 394, 397 n. 6 (11th Cir.1988)]. Willie argues that Minnick expanded Edwards and Roberson such that once an accused asserts his right to counsel, the accused may not be interrogated on any matter in the absence of counsel until the case is adjudicated, unless the accused initiates the communications or conversations, regardless of whether the accused is no longer in custody. We disagree. We recognize that in Minnick the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the State's argument that Edwards was not violated by interrogation in the absence of counsel after a single consultation with an attorney because the result would have allowed the Edwards protection to pass in and out of existence multiple times prior to arraignment ..., and [v]agaries of this sort spread confusion through the justice system and lead to a consequent loss of respect for the underlying constitutional principle. Minnick, 111 S.Ct. at 492. In spite of this language, we do not believe that Minnick dictates that the accused may not be interrogated on an unrelated charge when the accused has not been in continuous custody. The Court's conclusion in Minnick that [a] single consultation with an attorney does not remove the suspect from persistent attempts by officials to persuade him to waive his right, or from the coercive pressures that accompany custody and that may increase as custody is prolonged  and the case before us well illustrates the pressures, and abuses, that may be concomitants of custody makes clear that continuous custody was of significant import in the Court's decision. Minnick, 111 S.Ct. at 491 (Emphasis added). As Minnick does not require this Court to apply the Edwards or Roberson rule when custody is not continuous, we hereby adopt the rule that a non-contrived, non-pretextual break in custody where the defendant has reasonable opportunity to contact his attorney dissolves an Edwards or Roberson claim. This is not to say that in some cases custody may be of such short duration that the Edwards or Roberson protection does not dissipate, but the case before us is not such a case. When we apply this rule to the instant case, we conclude that the admission of Willie's statements did not violate Arizona v. Roberson . Willie also contends that the sheriffs violated Arizona v. Roberson and his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination when Willie was questioned about his relationship with his court appointed attorney, Hugh Gibson, who was representing Willie on a charge of grand larceny. The record shows that Willie was not questioned specifically about his conversations with his attorney, rather Willie offered the information as an explanation of why he committed the robbery and murder. We find no evidence of a violation.