Opinion ID: 1932173
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: did the trial court err in failing to suppress all oral and written statements of wheeler?

Text: Prior to trial, defense counsel filed a motion to suppress as evidence any and all incriminating confessions, admissions or statements alleged to have been made by Wheeler on the grounds that any and all such statements were obtained from him illegally, involuntarily and in violation of his constitutional rights. This motion to suppress was consolidated with the charge of capital murder against this same defendant, ( Wheeler v. State, 536 So.2d 1341 (Miss. 1988)), and was overruled ruled by the trial court. This Court takes judicial knowledge of that hearing contained within another record before this Court and notes that the opinion in Wheeler v. State, supra , affirms the conviction based upon admissions of those confessions. There were two verbal statements and one written confession in question. The two verbal statements in question were made by Wheeler en route to the hospital and references were made to these statements by various witnesses during the trial. A typical statement was: He (Wheeler) asked Officer Miller and I was the lady dead? Said he knew he had popped her twice. During the struggle between the officers and the defendant, Wheeler was physically assaulted to bring him under control and remove the gun from him. He alleged that because of this encounter his eyes were closed from swelling and that he was unable to see what he signed. An investigator secured Wheeler's signature to a waiver of rights form and proceeded to secure a confession. The trial judge heard the suppression evidence and overruled the motion to suppress. [2] This finding of the trial judge is in accord with the decisions of this Court. Chisolm v. State, 529 So.2d 630 (Miss. 1988); Hemmingway v. State, 483 So.2d 1335 (Miss. 1986); Neal v. State, 451 So.2d 743 (Miss. 1984). This Court reaffirms the holding of the trial court that the statements and confession were admissible.