Opinion ID: 2823835
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Magallanes-Aragon Demonstrates the Correct Application of the Totality of the Circumstances Test.

Text: Â¶22Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Our determination in Magallanes-Aragon is particularly instructive. In that case, the trial court suppressed marijuana evidence recovered from a car based on the defendantâs consent to search because the defendant âwas educated in Mexico and did not believe that he had a right to refuse to consent to the search.â 948 P.2d at 530, 532. Its findings showed that it focused exclusively on the defendantâs âsubjective characteristics and perceptions.â Id. at 532. Â¶23Â Â Â Â Â Â Â On appeal, we concluded that the trial court applied an erroneous legal standard. Id. at 532â33. Like the lower courts in Helm and Licea, the trial court in Magallanes-Aragon incorrectly focused on the defendantâs âsubjective characteristics and perceptionsâ and âfailed to adequately consider whether there was objective evidence of overbearing, intrusive, coercive or deceptive behavior by the police.â Id. at 532. We emphasized that âthere is a distinction between a voluntary act and an act done knowingly and intelligentlyâ and that â[n]either an intelligent consent nor knowledge of the right to refuse to consent [is] essential to a voluntary consent.â Id. at 532 (citing Licea, 918 P.2d at 1113; Helm, 633 P.2d at 1076). Rather, the court firstÂ considers evidence of police coercion and the defendantâs subjective characteristics. Id. Â at 531. It then applies an objective test that takes into account the totality of the circumstances and determines âwhether the police conduct could reasonably have appeared to the defendant to be coercive.â Id. Critical to the analysis is âthe impact of overbearing, coercive, or deceptive police conduct on a person with the knowledge and particular characteristics of the defendant.â Id. at 533. The impact of the policeâs conduct must not overbear the defendantâs will. Id. at 530. We also specified that the analysis is an objective assessment of police actions, not an inquiry into the policeâs subjective belief in the appropriateness of their actions. Id. at 533. Â¶24Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Because the trial court applied an erroneous legal standard and failed to make findings surrounding the consent to search, such as resolving disputed testimony in the record, we reversed and remanded the case to the trial court. 2 Id. at 532â33, 534. Further, we instructed the trial court to apply the correct legal standardâwhether, under the totality of the circumstances, the policeâs conduct overbore the defendantâs exercise of free will because it was sufficiently coercive or deceptive to a person with his characteristics in his circumstances. Id. at 534.