Opinion ID: 2981722
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: analysis

Text: In Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 478 (1966), the Supreme Court held that under the Fifth Amendment, a suspect may not be subjected to custodial interrogation until he has been informed that he has a right to counsel, that he has a right to remain silent, and that anything he says can be used against him in a court of law. To be valid, a waiver of these rights must be voluntary, knowing, and intelligent. Colorado v. Spring, 479 U.S. 564, 573 (1987). To determine whether a waiver is valid, courts examine the totality of the circumstances. Fare v. Michael C., 442 U.S. 707, 724–25 (1979) (citing Miranda, 384 U.S. at 475–77). Courts consider a number of factors, including “the age, education, and intelligence of the suspect; whether the suspect was advised of his Miranda rights; the length of the questioning; and the use of physical punishment or the deprivation of food, sleep or other creature comforts.” Jackson v. McKee, 525 F.3d 430, 433–34 (6th Cir. 2008) (citing Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 226 (1973)). “A confession is involuntary only if there is (1) police coercion or overreaching which (2) overbore the accused’s will and (3) caused the confession.” Hill v. Anderson, 300 F.3d 679, 682 (6th Cir. 2002) (citing Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 165–66 (1986)). The Ohio Supreme Court identified the proper precedent by which to examine Moore’s claim and did not apply it unreasonably. The Ohio Supreme Court cited North Carolina v. Butler, 441 U.S. 369, 374–75 (1979), for the proposition that an accused’s signed waiver form is strong proof that the waiver was valid. Moore, 689 N.E.2d at 11–12. In Butler, the Court wrote that: “An express written or oral statement of waiver Nos. 08-3167/3230 Moore v. Mitchell Page 58 of the right to remain silent or of the right to counsel is usually strong proof of the validity of that waiver, but is not inevitably either necessary or sufficient to establish waiver.” 441 U.S. at 373. The court also cited Connelly in support of its conclusion that the totality of the circumstances did not show that “Moore’s ‘will was overborne’ or that his ‘capacity for self-determination was critically impaired because of coercive police conduct.’” Moore, 689 N.E.2d at 12 (quoting State v. Otte, 660 N.E.2d 711, 719 (Ohio 1996)). In Connelly, the Court held that “coercive police activity is a necessary predicate to the finding that a confession is not ‘voluntary.’” 479 U.S. at 167. We, too, find that the circumstances surrounding Moore’s statement are troubling. The police officers did not provide Moore with food or drink while he was in the holding cell, they required Moore to walk in the snow and slush in sub-freezing temperatures in his stocking feet, and they kept Moore’s hands cuffed behind his back for over three hours while he sat in the interview room. Over twelve hours elapsed between the time Moore was arrested and the time he gave his statement. At nineteen and with a single juvenile offense, Moore was not experienced with the criminal justice system. On the other hand, Moore is of average intelligence, did not appear intoxicated when he was arrested, and did not request food when it was offered. Moore was read his Miranda rights, signed a waiver form, and acknowledged understanding his rights just before he was questioned. The questioning itself was not prolonged or repeated, lasting about an hour and a half. The police subjected Moore to physical discomfort but did not use any other overtly coercive tactics that overbore Moore’s will and caused his confession. See Connelly, 479 U.S. at 165–66; Hill, 300 F.3d at 682. The police did not overbear his will by questioning him endlessly until he finally cracked. The interview occurred many hours after his initial arrest, but for most of that time, he was simply waiting (albeit uncomfortably). He was not enduring harassment and threats. No physical violence was used on him. In view of the signed waiver, the lack of coercion by the police, and the trial court’s finding that Moore did not ask for an attorney, the state court’s conclusion that the totality of the circumstances indicated that Moore waived his rights was not unreasonable. Nos. 08-3167/3230 Moore v. Mitchell Page 59 Moore argues that a police officer contradicted the earlier Miranda warning by advising Moore that his statement would actually help him, citing Hart v. Att’y Gen., 323 F.3d 884, 894 (11th Cir. 2003). In Hart, the defendant was advised of his Miranda rights and signed a waiver. A police officer whom the defendant trusted told him, when asked, the pros and cons of asking for an attorney, and advised the defendant that “honesty wouldn’t hurt him.” The court concluded that under the totality of the circumstances, including the defendant’s trust of the officer and her statements contradicting the Miranda warnings, the defendant’s waiver was the product of the officer’s deception and was not voluntary, knowing, and intelligent, and the state court’s rejection of the claim was contrary to clearly established federal law. Id. at 895. At the suppression hearing, Moore testified that, after showing him the Miranda waiver he had signed earlier, Feldhaus asked him to give a statement. Feldhaus used an example of someone who runs over a pedestrian either accidentally or intentionally. Moore testified, [Feldhaus] said if there’s a man on the street and there’s a car come [sic] speeding in the street and he doesn’t see him and he runs him over, that that’s murder, but it’s accidental. And he said that’s different than driving in the street and seeing a man and actually stepping on the gas to kill him. And he said that if, if I didn’t make a statement, that it would look like I stepped on the gas and killed the man. He said that it could have possibly been an accident and he told me that I should make a statement. Q: Okay. So he was telling you that it would be better to say that it was accidental and he also stated that it would go easier on you; is that correct? A: Yes. However, Feldhaus denied ever making such comments.18 The state court credited Feldhaus’s version of events and we must defer to that determination unless Moore can produce clear and convincing evidence that contradicts it. Moore cites no such evidence. 18 In his Fourth Brief, Moore’s counsel states, without citation, that Officer Feldhaus admonished Moore that “it would be better to say that it was accidental and . . . it would go easier on you.” In fact, however, that quote comes not from Feldhaus but from Moore’s trial counsel at the suppression hearing, summarizing Moore’s own testimony back to him. At the suppression hearing, Officer Feldhaus specifically denied making such statements or using the car analogy to which Moore refers. Nos. 08-3167/3230 Moore v. Mitchell Page 60 Even accepting Moore’s account of what Feldhaus said, Feldhaus encouraged Moore to make a statement but did not contradict the Miranda warnings Moore received earlier. In the alternative, any error in admitting Moore’s statement into evidence was harmless. The admission of an involuntary statement at trial is subject to harmless error analysis. Arizona v. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279, 310 (1991). The court assesses the prejudicial impact of constitutional error under the “substantial and injurious effect” standard set forth in Brecht. Fry, 551 U.S. at 121–22. On habeas review, this standard applies whether or not the state courts recognized the error. Id. Moore’s statement did not have substantial and injurious effect on the jury’s verdict. First, although Moore admitted kidnapping, robbing, and shooting the victim, he told the police the shooting was accidental. Moore, 689 N.E.2d at 6. Thus, the jury could not have convicted him of aggravated murder based upon the statement he gave police. Second, Moore’s accomplice provided ample testimony against him. Kinley testified that, as Moore drove to a factory area, he told Kinley that he was going to kill the victim and that they would not get caught. Once at the factory area, Kinley heard Moore tell the victim to empty his pockets and move to a corner by the dumpster, heard the victim beg for his life, and heard a gunshot. Kinley testified that Moore laughed about the shooting. Id. at 7. Thus, apart from Moore’s statement, the jury heard that Moore planned to kill the victim, robbed him, and laughed about the killing afterwards. There was sufficient evidence even without his statement for the jury to conclude that Moore murdered the victim.