Opinion ID: 782840
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Was Petitioner in Custody?

Text: 23 We first consider whether petitioner was in custody when he made his initial statement, during which he 1) lied about making the 911 call, 2) admitted that he fought with Minicz on June 4, 1994, and 3) admitted that he wore the bloody shirt that Detective Hopkins recovered from his sister's house. Petitioner made these statements before the detectives advised him of his Miranda rights. 24 The record raises concerns about the custodial nature of petitioner's encounter. The finding that petitioner voluntarily accompanied the officers to the police station is suspect, as Detective Geiger provided contradictory testimony. On direct examination, Detective Geiger testified that the officers told [petitioner that they were] going to take him to the precinct regarding Krzystof Minicz, and ... put him in the car and drove him back to the precinct. Detective Geiger also testified that since petitioner fit the description of the individual the officers sought, [they] just took him. 25 Even assuming that petitioner voluntarily accompanied the officers to the police station, whether the interview was converted into a custodial interrogation by virtue of petitioner surrendering his pants is a close question. Though not binding on this Court, the New York Court of Appeals has held that a defendant was not in custody where he voluntarily removed both his pants and undershorts during questioning. See People v. Yukl, 25 N.Y.2d 585, 307 N.Y.S.2d 857, 861-62, 256 N.E.2d 172 (1969). Many individuals would not feel free, or even able, to leave a police station without their pants. Moreover, it is unclear whether petitioner voluntarily surrendered his pants, as Detective Geiger testified only that he recovered some blue trousers from petitioner's body. Although the Appellate Division concluded that petitioner was not in custody prior to receiving Miranda warnings, that decision is unreasonable and not entitled to deference pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(2), because the majority failed to consider whether petitioner was placed in custody by virtue of the detectives' seizure of his pants. Cf. People v. Parsad, 243 A.D.2d 510, 662 N.Y.S.2d 835, 838 (1997) (Friedmann, J., dissenting) (dissenting partly because, [a]t some point during the questioning, Geiger removed the defendant's blue pants and the defendant was partially stripped). At the same time, however, the record reflects that the detectives provided petitioner with another pair of pants sometime prior to his videotaped statement. 26 Thus, even given the deferential AEDPA standard, the circumstances of petitioner's encounter with the officers raise questions concerning whether it was custodial. As our disposition of this appeal does not require resolution of this issue, however, we will assume, without deciding, that petitioner was in custody when he made his pre- Miranda statements. 3 27