Opinion ID: 1952139
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidence of the Confession

Text: [¶ 6] Cole contends his confession should have been suppressed because it was made involuntarily as the result of psychological coercion. We disagree. The State bears the burden of establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that a statement made to investigators by a defendant is voluntary. State v. Smith, 615 A.2d 1162, 1163 (Me.1992). A trial court should determine whether a statement is voluntary by considering the totality of the circumstances. Id. A confession is voluntary if it results from the free choice of a rational mind, if it is not a product of coerced police conduct, and if under all the circumstances its admission would be fundamentally fair. Id. (quoting State v. Mikulewicz, 462 A.2d 497, 501 (Me.1983)). We review for clear error a trial court's finding that the State has met its burden as to voluntariness. Smith, 615 A.2d at 1163. [¶ 7] In this case there was competent evidence to support the trial court's finding that Cole's confession was voluntary. Although he was repeatedly coaxed to confess, that in itself does not render his confession involuntary. See, e.g., State v. Theriault, 425 A.2d 986, 990 (Me.1981) (a mere admonition or exhortation to tell the truth, as opposed to a promise of prosecutorial leniency, does not render a confession involuntary). Nor is it decisive that the police at times conducted themselves in a confrontational manner. See, e.g., State v. Candage, 549 A.2d 355, 359-60 (Me.1988) (defendant's statements were voluntary even though the interviewing officer conducted the interrogatories in a confrontational way). Cole voluntarily submitted to questioning, the duration of the interview was not excessive, he was given several opportunities to take a break, and he was informed by one of his interrogators that they were not offering [him] any deals with the D.A.'s office. Given the totality of the circumstances, we cannot say the trial court's decision was clearly erroneous.