Opinion ID: 1405826
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Appellant's Admission to the GAL

Text: Appellant argues the trial court erred in allowing the admission of Appellant's statement to the GAL because it violated his Sixth Amendment right to counsel. We disagree. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches only at or after the initiation of adversary judicial proceedings against the defendant. U.S. v. Gouveia, 467 U.S. 180, 187, 104 S.Ct. 2292, 81 L.Ed.2d 146 (1984). [A] criminal defendant's initial appearance before a judicial officer, where he learns the charge against him and his liberty is subject to restriction, marks the start of adversary judicial proceedings that trigger attachment of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Rothgery v. Gillespie County, Tex., ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 2578, 2592, 171 L.Ed.2d 366, 383 (2008). In Massiah v. U.S., 377 U.S. 201, 206, 84 S.Ct. 1199, 12 L.Ed.2d 246 (1964) the United States Supreme Court held that the petitioner was denied the basic protections of that guarantee when there was used against him at his trial evidence of his own incriminating words, which federal agents had deliberately elicited from him after he had been indicted and in the absence of his counsel. That language has given rise to a two-part test to determine whether a violation of the Sixth Amendment has occurred: [t]o find a Sixth Amendment violation, the statements in question must have been (1) deliberately elicited (2) by a government agent. U.S. v. Li, 55 F.3d 325, 328 (7th Cir.1995); see also Creel v. Johnson, 162 F.3d 385, 393 (5th Cir.1998); Depree v. Thomas, 946 F.2d 784, 793 (11th Cir. 1991). There is, by necessity, no bright-line rule for determining whether an individual is a government agent for purposes of the sixth amendment right to counsel. Depree, 946 F.2d at 793-94. Whether someone is a government agent for purposes of Sixth Amendment jurisprudence depends on the facts and circumstances of each case. Id. at 794 (citation omitted). However, [a]t a minimum ... there must be some evidence that an agreement, express or implied, between the individual and a government official existed at the time the elicitation takes place. Id. (citation omitted). Regarding the deliberate elicitation prong, the Supreme Court has explained that the defendant must demonstrate that the police and their informant took some action, beyond merely listening, that was designed deliberately to elicit incriminating remarks. Kuhlmann v. Wilson, 477 U.S. 436, 459, 106 S.Ct. 2616, 91 L.Ed.2d 364 (1986). In the present case, Appellant contends the GAL was a state actor because she was appointed by the court. However, the record clearly indicates the GAL was not acting as a government agent for purposes of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. There was no express or implied agreement between the GAL and a government official involved in the prosecution of Appellant's case. The GAL was meeting with Appellant to see that Victim received the social services she needed. In State v. Sprouse, 325 S.C. 275, 284, 478 S.E.2d 871, 876 (Ct.App.1996), the court of appeals found that a case manager for the Department of Social Services (DSS) was not acting as an agent of law enforcement and, therefore, the requirements of Miranda did not apply. Similarly, the GAL in this case was an employee of DSS appointed by the family court and in no way a government agent for purposes of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Additionally, the GAL did not deliberately elicit Appellant's incriminating remarks. When the GAL met with Appellant, she told him that she did not want to discuss the details of the sexual assault. However, Appellant voluntarily made incriminating statements to the GAL during the interview. In no way did the GAL take any action designed to deliberately elicit incriminating statements. Hence, the statements made to the GAL were not deliberately elicited and the GAL was not a government agent for purposes of the Sixth Amendment. Therefore, the trial court did not err in allowing Appellant's admission to the GAL.