Opinion ID: 1288237
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Inculpatory statements and waiver

Text: The circuit court concluded that the inculpatory statements, including the consents to search the hotel room, made by the Hauanios were fruits of Detective Guillermo's illegal search. See COL 5(b). Aside from (1) making a general claim that the court erred in issuing COL 5(b) and (2) contending that the statements would have been inevitably discovered, see discussion infra, the prosecution does not present a single argument to support the contention that the circuit court's conclusion was erroneous. [33] Because of this, it is our prerogative to disregard the prosecution's claim without addressing it. See Loui v. Board of Medical Examiners, 78 Hawai`i 21, 29 n. 19, 889 P.2d 705, 713 n. 19 (1995) (citing State v. Reed, 77 Hawai`i 72, 86, 881 P.2d 1218, 1232 (1994)). Nevertheless, in the interest of justice, we address the prosecution's claim herein. For the reasons set forth below, we hold that the circuit court's COL 5(b) was not wrong. As discussed supra, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 7 of the Hawai`i Constitution protect the right of the people to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Pau`u, 72 Haw. at 509, 824 P.2d at 835. In addition, the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 10 of the Hawai`i Constitution provide in relevant part that [n]o person shall ... be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against [oneself][.] Id. When a confession or other evidence is obtained in violation of either of these rights, the prosecution will not be permitted to use it to secure a defendant's criminal conviction. Id. (citing State v. Russo, 67 Haw. 126, 681 P.2d 553 (1984)). Thus, a waiver of one's constitutional rights or a confession, even if uncoerced and intelligently given, will be inadmissible if induced by a prior illegality. See Pau`u, 72 Haw. at 509, 824 P.2d at 835-36 (citing State v. Knight, 63 Haw. 90, 94, 621 P.2d 370, 374 (1980)). Indeed, when the defendant makes a showing that [the] waiver [or confession] was predicated upon an illegal search, the government's burden in rebutting the invalidity of the waiver [or confession] is to show that the waiver `[is not the result of an exploitation] of that illegality but instead by means sufficiently distinguishable to be purged of the primary taint.' Id. at 510, 824 P.2d at 836 (citing Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 488, 83 S.Ct. 407, 417-18, 9 L.Ed.2d 441 (1963) (internal brackets added) (quoting Maguire, Evidence of Guilt 221 (1959)). In Pau`u, supra, we addressed the issue whether a defendant's confession and consent to search were admissible when made after the police conducted an illegal search and seizure of the defendant's belongings, and proceeded to show him the evidence recovered against him. The relevant facts of Pau`u, see 72 Haw. at 507-08, 824 P.2d at 834-35, are as follows: Several officers pulled the defendant, Folototo Pau`u, over by surrounding his car. Pau`u had been suspected of theft. In addition, the vehicle tax and safety check on his car had expired. The officers ordered Pau`u out of his car and arrested him. Because Pau`u's car was stopped in the middle of a busy street, one of the officers entered the car to move it. While in the car, the officer found a black bag with stolen credit cards inside. Shortly thereafter, at the arrest scene, one of the officers approached Pau`u with the credit cards and stated: You've been a busy boy, haven't you. Later at the police station, after being informed of his Miranda rights, Pau`u consented to a search of his car, and confessed to the crimes. At trial, Pau`u moved to suppress the evidence obtained from the search of his black bag and car, as well as evidence of his confession. The circuit court held that the police officer, who entered Pau`u's car to move it, had conducted an illegal search of the black bag. The prosecution did not challenge this holding. Accordingly, the circuit court suppressed the evidence of the credit cards found inside. The circuit court, however, concluded that Pau`u's consent to search and confession were (1) voluntarily given, and (2) free of any taint of the illegal warrantless search of the bag. Pau`u's statements and the evidence subsequently recovered were therefore admitted at trial. Pau`u was ultimately convicted. On appeal, Pau`u conceded that his consent to search his car and his confession were voluntary to the extent that he understood his rights and was not coerced; however, he contended that the only reason he consented and confessed was that he felt he had no choice because the police already had the evidence to convict him when the credit cards were found in his bag. Pau`u, 72 Haw. at 510, 824 P.2d at 836. Because the search of the bag was illegal, and because Pau`u made a showing that his confession and waiver were predicated upon an illegal search, [t]he [prosecution], therefore, had to demonstrate that the taint of the illegal search of the bag had been dissipated or that the waivers were induced by a source independent of the illegal search. Id. The prosecution attempted to meet this burden by arguing that, under the circumstances of Pau`u's arrest, namely that he was stopped by being surrounded by several police officers' cars, ordered to place his hands on the dashboard, then ordered out of the car, all of which occurred prior to the search of the black bag, Pau`u must have known or believed that the police already had the evidence to convict him, and at this point Pau`u must have felt the futility of withholding any consent or confession. Id. at 511, 824 P.2d at 836 (emphasis added). This court disagreed with the prosecution's argument, finding that the [prosecution's] argument ... [was] not based on any evidence but was merely surmise and speculative inference. Id. at 512, 824 P.2d at 837 (emphasis added). We therefore held that the [prosecution] ... failed to meet its burden of showing that the taint of the prior illegal search had been dissipated or that there was an independent source which induced Pau`u to waive his constitutional rights. Id. As such, we vacated Pau`u's convictions and remanded for a new trial. The instant case is analogous to the Pau`u decision. In this case, as in Pau`u, an illegal search was conducted by the police. Also in this case, as in Pau`u, the evidence recovered as a result of that illegal search provided the basis for the defendants' arrest. See discussion of Pau`u facts supra, and unchallenged FOF 23 (Guillermo ... arrested both the Hauanios at approximately 4:00 p.m. for the `crack' cocaine that he recovered from their house. ) (emphasis added). Finally, in both cases, at some point before making the statements, the defendants were questioned about the evidence recovered as a result of the illegal search. See discussion of Pau`u facts supra, and unchallenged FOF 21 (When Guillermo inquired about the drugs, Daniel replied that he wanted to think about it before responding[.]). Accordingly, as we did in Pau`u, we hold that the Hauanios were induced to make inculpatory statements and to consent to a search of their hotel room in violation of article I, sections 7 and 9 of the Hawai`i Constitution. [34]
The prosecution next contends that the Hauanios were already the primary suspects in Sergeant Magnani's drug conspiracy investigation; thus, even if their statements and consents were tainted, it was inevitable that Magnani would contact the Hauanios at his earliest possible opportunity, advise them of their rights, obtain voluntary statements from them, and request consent to search places they occupied or obtain search warrants for those premises. At this point, we fail to see how the prosecution could possibly present the clear and convincing evidence that would be necessary to support its contention. Indeed, absent some sort of supernatural ability, there is simply no way to predict that a particular individual would have inevitably legally made the same statements that he or she made as a result of an illegal interrogation. Thus, because we believe that applying the inevitable discovery doctrine to oral statements, including confessions and consents to search, would amount to surmise and speculative inference see Pau`u, 72 Haw. at 512, 824 P.2d at 837, beyond that in which we are willing to engage at the expense of our constitution, we hold that it only applies to the admissibility of tangible physical evidence. [35] Accordingly, we hold that the circuit court did not err in suppressing the inculpatory statements of the Hauanios and the waivers of their rights to refuse consent to a search of the hotel room in which they were staying. We reach this holding on adequate and independent state grounds. See Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 182, 110 S.Ct. at 2798; supra note 25.