Opinion ID: 783764
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cunningham's Coercive Interrogation Claim

Text: 20 Cunningham alleges that Perez violated his Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to be free from coercive interrogation. A coercive interrogation exists when the totality of the circumstances shows that the officer's tactics undermined the suspect's ability to exercise his free will. Haynes v. Washington, 373 U.S. 503, 513, 83 S.Ct. 1336, 10 L.Ed.2d 513 (1963). 21 Here, we hold Perez's interrogation as demonstrated by the pretrial record did not undermine Cunningham's free will. While it is true that the interrogation lasted for eight hours, Perez did not refuse to give Cunningham a break for food or water. Perez also never yelled and failed to use violence or the threat of violence. Perez's questions may have unsettled Cunningham, but mere emotionalism and confusion do not invalidate confessions. United States v. Miller, 984 F.2d 1028, 1032 (9th Cir.1993). Further, continuing to question a suspect after the suspect claims he is innocent does not constitute coercion and is often necessary to achieve the truth. See Amaya-Ruiz v. Stewart, 121 F.3d 486, 494 (9th Cir.1997) (stating officers' repeated insistence that the suspect tell the truth did not amount to coercion). Perez's suggestion that Cunningham's cooperation could lead to treatment rather than prison is also not coercive. See United States v. Leon Guerrero, 847 F.2d 1363, 1366 (9th Cir.1988) (holding an interrogator's promise to recommend leniency does not render a suspect's confession involuntary). Similarly, Perez's statement that he has put people in prison did not contribute to undermining Cunningham's free will. Officers are allowed to recite the sentence a suspect may receive if found guilty. See United States v. Bautista-Avila, 6 F.3d 1360, 1365 (9th Cir.1993); see also United States v. Sablotny, 21 F.3d 747, 752-53 (7th Cir.1994) (holding officers are allowed to play upon the suspect's fear of prison). 22 While it is true that Perez denied Cunningham's request to call his therapist, there is no constitutional right to call a therapist during an interrogation. Cunningham also cannot point to his bi-polar medication to invalidate the confession because confessions can be voluntary even if the effects of medication influence a suspect's statements. United States v. Martin, 781 F.2d 671, 673-74 (9th Cir.1985). Further, Cunningham's mental disorder cannot invalidate his confession because he has not first shown that Perez used coercive tactics. See Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 167, 107 S.Ct. 515, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986). 23 When viewing the totality of the circumstances, Perez's conduct did not undermine Cunningham's free will. Other cases finding coercion have been far more outrageous. See, e.g., Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385, 398-99, 98 S.Ct. 2408, 57 L.Ed.2d 290 (1978) (finding statement obtained from a defendant who was in the hospital, in near coma condition, and in great pain, while fastened to tubes, needles, and a breathing apparatus, could not have been voluntary); Haynes, 373 U.S. at 511-12, 83 S.Ct. 1336 (1963) (invalidating confession where suspect was held for over five days and never advised of his rights); Ashcraft v. Tennessee, 322 U.S. 143, 149-54, 64 S.Ct. 921, 88 L.Ed. 1192 (1944) (invalidating confession because police questioned suspect for thirty-six hours straight); Henry v. Kernan, 197 F.3d 1021, 1028 (9th Cir.1999) (finding confession was involuntary because detectives admittedly continued the interrogation after the suspect clearly invoked his Miranda rights); California Attorneys for Criminal Justice v. Butts, 195 F.3d 1039, 1046 (9th Cir.1999) (finding coercive interrogation because the police disregarded the suspect's Miranda rights); United States v. Tingle, 658 F.2d 1332, 1335-36 (9th Cir.1981) (finding confession involuntary when officer recited a litany of maximum penalties for the suspect's alleged crimes, expressly stated that the suspect would not see her child for a while, and warned the suspect that if she failed to cooperate he would inform the prosecutor that she was stubborn or hard-headed).