Opinion ID: 2356269
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: False Promise of Reward

Text: The next statement at issue on appeal is Flanagan's 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. statement made to Rolland at the Craighead County jail: Flanagan argues that this statement should be suppressed because she was apparently unable to take medications prior to making the statement, she was depressed to the extent that Rolland felt she should be placed on suicide watch, and most importantly, because her confession was obtained through a false promise of reward or leniency. In Williams v. State, 363 Ark. 395, 214 S.W.3d 829 (2005), we stated: We note at the outset that a statement made while in custody is presumptively involuntary, and the burden is on the State to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a custodial statement was given voluntarily and was knowingly and intelligently made. Grillot v. State, 353 Ark. 294, 107 S.W.3d 136 (2003). In order to determine whether a waiver of Miranda rights is voluntary, we look to see if the confession was the product of free and deliberate choice rather than intimidation, coercion, or deception. Id. When we review a trial court's ruling on the voluntariness of a confession, we make an independent determination based on the totality of the circumstances. Id. A statement induced by a false promise of reward or leniency is not a voluntary statement. Roberts v. State, 352 Ark. 489, 102 S.W.3d 482 (2003). When a police officer makes a false promise that misleads a prisoner, and the prisoner gives a confession because of that false promise, then the confession has not been made voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently. Id. For the statement to be involuntary, the promise must have induced or influenced the confession. Id.; Bisbee v. State, 341 Ark. 508, 17 S.W.3d 477 (2000), overruled on other grounds in Grillot, 353 Ark. 294, 107 S.W.3d 136. Furthermore, the defendant must show that the confession was untrue, because the object of the rule is not to exclude a confession of truth, but to avoid the possibility of a confession of guilt from one who is, in fact, innocent. Id. In determining whether there has been a misleading promise of reward or leniency, this court views the totality of the circumstances and examines, first, the officer's statement and, second, the vulnerability of the defendant. Id. Williams, 363 Ark. at 404-05, 214 S.W.3d at 834-35. Flanagan claims that she confessed to Rolland because he promised her that she would be allowed to speak to her mother and her psychiatrist if she confessed. Rolland contradicted this testimony, stating that he told Flanagan he would interview her first, and then he would see about helping her speak, to her mother and her psychiatrist. The circuit court viewed the videotaped statement and found that Flanagan was lucid and responded appropriately to questions. Further, the court found that there was no evidence that Flanagan was under the influence of drugs or alcohol or that she was detached from reality. The court determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Flanagan was more susceptible to undue influence or less able to resist pressure due to side effects of prescription drugs, lack of prior involvement with the law, or any alleged defect in mental state, education, or IQ. Finally, the court concluded that the statements of Rolland to Flanagan regarding calling Flanagan's mother or arranging treatment for Flanagan at MidSouth Health Services were not tied to Flanagan's waiver of her rights and were, thus, inconsequential. Here, the circuit judge viewed the videotaped statement; thus, he was able to hear for himself whether or not Flanagan sounded as if she were impaired and whether Rolland obtained a confession through a false promise of reward. The record does not indicate that Flanagan was mentally impaired such that she did not realize the meaning of her statement. Nor does the record indicate, as Flanagan suggests, that Rolland offered desired benefits to obtain her participation in and completion of the interview. The circuit court's finding is not clearly against the preponderance of the evidence.