Opinion ID: 524289
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Validity of Confession

Text: 8 Raymer contends that his waiver of Miranda rights and subsequent confession, which was admitted into evidence at trial, were not voluntary. The lower court conducted a pretrial suppression hearing and concluded that the waiver and confession were voluntary. The government bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that both the waiver of Miranda rights and the confession were voluntary. Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 168-69, 107 S.Ct. 515, 522-23, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986); Lego v. Twomey, 404 U.S. 477, 489, 92 S.Ct. 619, 626-27, 30 L.Ed.2d 618 (1972); United States v. Terrazas-Carrasco, 861 F.2d 93, 95 (5th Cir.1988). This Court must give credence to the credibility choices and findings of fact of the district court unless clearly erroneous. United States v. Watson, 591 F.2d 1058, 1061 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 441 U.S. 965, 99 S.Ct. 2414, 60 L.Ed.2d 1070 (1979). The ultimate issue of voluntariness is a legal issue, however, which requires the appellate court to make an independent determination. Wicker v. McCotter, 783 F.2d 487, 498 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 478 U.S. 1010, 106 S.Ct. 3310, 92 L.Ed.2d 723 (1986); United States v. Kreczmer, 636 F.2d 108, 110 (5th Cir. Unit B Feb. 1981); Jurek v. Estelle, 623 F.2d 929, 932 (5th Cir.1980) (en banc), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 1001, 101 S.Ct. 1709, 68 L.Ed.2d 203 (1981). 9 Raymer relies primarily on his mental condition to argue that his waiver of rights and his confession were not the product of his free and rational choice. Martinez v. Estelle, 612 F.2d 173, 177 (5th Cir.1980). He also suggests that under the totality of circumstances his waiver was not voluntary, considering factors such as his prescription drug intake, the prison hospital environment, his painful condition, and his limited education. 10 Raymer's argument that his mental illness and the circumstances surrounding his hospitalization render his Miranda waiver and confession involuntary is foreclosed by Colorado v. Connelly, supra. The Court in Connelly determined that the unsolicited confession and subsequent waiver of Miranda rights by an individual who claimed that he was under the compulsion of the voice of God were not involuntary. The court concluded that notions of 'free will'  have no place in assessing the voluntariness of a confession or Miranda waiver. Connelly, 479 U.S. at 169, 107 S.Ct. at 523. Instead, the voluntariness of the waiver or confession depends on the absence of police overreaching, not on 'free choice' in any broader sense of the word. Id. at 170, 107 S.Ct. at 523. 11 Connelly mandated a shift in the analysis of the voluntariness of a Miranda waiver. See Dix, Federal Constitutional Confession Law: The 1986 and 1987 Supreme Court Terms, 67 Tex.L.Rev. 231, 288-91 (1988). The relevant test no longer focuses on the defendant's free will, as it has in the past. See Henry v. Dees, 658 F.2d 406, 409 (5th Cir. Unit A Oct. 1981); Jurek v. Estelle, 623 F.2d at 937. Instead, the focus is on the presence or absence of police coercion. Connelly, 479 U.S. at 167-70, 107 S.Ct. at 522-524; Penry v. Lynaugh, 832 F.2d 915, 918 (5th Cir.1987), cert. granted, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2896, 101 L.Ed.2d 930 (1988); Bell v. Lynaugh, 828 F.2d 1085, 1092 (5th Cir.1987), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 310, 98 L.Ed.2d 268 (1987). 12 A defendant's mental condition still properly figures into the voluntariness calculus. Police exploitation of the mental condition of a suspect, using subtle forms of psychological persuasion, could render a confession involuntary. Connelly, 479 U.S. at 164-65, 107 S.Ct. at 520-21. See also Blackburn v. Alabama, 361 U.S. 199, 206-08, 80 S.Ct. 274, 279-81, 4 L.Ed.2d 242 (1960). Thus, while we still examine the totality of the circumstances to determine voluntariness, that assessment must include an element of official overreaching to warrant a conclusion that a confession is involuntary under constitutional law. Miller v. Dugger, 838 F.2d 1530, 1536 (11th Cir.1988), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2832, 100 L.Ed.2d 933 (1988). 13 There is no evidence which suggests police coercion in obtaining Raymer's confession and waiver. The testimony of his doctor and social worker indicated that he was not under the influence of any medication on the day of his confession. Raymer was read his rights aloud, and then he reviewed and signed the F.B.I. waiver form. Raymer also testified at the suppression hearing that he was aware of his constitutional rights at the interview because of his previous experience with the court system. The agent who obtained the confession testified that Raymer admitted right off that he had written the letters, so questioning was not extensive. At one point, Raymer requested and was allowed to leave the interview area, but he returned thirty minutes later. Raymer was in the interview room and subject to questioning for a total of 42 minutes. In short, in the absence of any further evidence of government coercion, we hold that both Raymer's confession and waiver of his rights were voluntary. 14