Court Opinion

ID: 9726473
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 12:52:11.877286+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:27.740535
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE BARRY, dissenting: I must dissent from the opinion of the majority because, for the reasons I am about to state, I firmly believe that the defendant’s motion to suppress his confession was properly denied. The majority’s opinion hinges upon the finding that the defendant’s right to remain silent, exercised after his arrest the evening of January 25, was violated by the subsequent interrogation by the Peoria police the next morning. In Michigan v. Mosley (1975), 423 U.S. 98, 46 L. Ed. 2d 313, 96 S. Ct. 321, the United States Supreme Court concluded that “the admissibility of statements obtained after the person in custody had decided to remain silent depends under Miranda on whether his ‘right to cut off questioning’ was ‘scrupulously honored.’ ” (423 U.S. 96, 104, 46 L. Ed. 2d 313, 321, 96 S. Ct. 321, 326.) The Supreme Court found that the defendant’s right to remain silent was scrupulously honored under circumstances where there was a significant lapse of time between the defendant’s assertion of his right not to talk and the reinterrogation (2 hours), the defendant was read his Miranda rights prior to the reinterrogation, and the reinterrogation concerned an offense different from the one for which the defendant was taken into custody. Although in the instant case the reinterrogation of defendant Savory the morning after he asserted his right to remain silent involved the same offense for which he was arrested, this fact alone does not necessitate a finding that the defendant’s right to remain silent was not scrupulously honored. As the majority admits, the principle of Mosley is not limited to its facts. Indeed, this court has recently stated that the fact the second interrogation involved a completely different subject matter is only an “additional circumstance” which tends to demonstrate that the defendant’s right to remain silent was scrupulously honored (People v. Faison (1979), 78 Ill. App. 3d 911, 397 N.E.2d 1233). However, it is essential that the record reflect, at the very least, a complete cessation of questioning for a significant period of time after the defendant indicates he wishes to remain silent coupled with the giving of a complete set of Miranda warnings prior to the initiation of reinterrogation. Faison. In the case at bar, once the defendant exercised his right to remain silent, all questioning by the police ceased. The defendant was not reinterrogated until 10:30 the next morning (with his father and legal guardian present) and after he was read his Miranda rights a second time. Under a similar factual situation, the Second District, in People v. Eason (1976), 44 Ill. App. 3d 308, 357 N.E.2d 1191, held that the defendant’s right to remain silent was scrupulously honored, and a statement made as a result of the reinterrogation admissible. In Eason, the defendant was arrested for armed robbery and taken to the police station. After receiving his Miranda rights, signing a waiver form, and participating in a lineup, he refused to answer any more questions. Accordingly, the interrogation ceased and he was placed in his cell. The next morning, after being read his Miranda rights a second time, he refused to offer any information about the robbery. In response, one of the officers stated, “Well, you probably wouldn’t say anything if you could walk out of here scot-free.” The defendant then said “that would be a different story,” and when asked what he meant by that statement, made the statements which were the subject of his later motion to suppress. The defendant contended that this second interrogation was violative of Miranda and Mosley. The Second District, however, disagreed: “In the instant case the police discontinued their initial interrogation when the defendant refused to answer questions. A significant period of timé passed before the detectives again advised him of his rights and, although they were still investigating the same crime, the defendant voluntarily agreed to talk with them. We hold that the statements in the instant case were not obtained in violation of Miranda and that the defendant voluntarily made those statements after being afforded the protection outlined in Michigan v. Mosley.” (44 Ill. App. 3d 308, 314, 357 N.E.2d 1191, 1195.) Just as the defendant’s right to remain silent was scrupulously honored in Eason, defendant Savory’s right to remain silent was scrupulously honored in the instant case. This is not a case in which the Peoria police officers, by questioning the defendant with regard to the discrepancies in the stories he had told the previous day, after a complete cessation of questioning for almost 12 hours and the giving of a fresh set of Miranda warnings, made a conscious attempt to wear down the defendant through repeated and continuous interrogations for the purpose of obtaining a confession. (See, e.g., United States ex rel. Doss v. Bensinger (7th Cir. 1972), 463 F.2d 576, cert. denied (1972), 409 U.S. 932, 34 L. Ed. 2d 186, 93 S. Ct. 239; United States v. Crisp (7th Cir. 1970), 435 F.2d 354; People v. Gibson (1977), 55 Ill. App. 3d 929, 371 N.E.2d 341.) The Peoria police recognized and respected the defendant’s exercise of his right to remain silent as evidenced by the resumption of interrogation only after a significant period of time had passed and new warnings were given. The testimony at the hearing on the motion to suppress reveals that the defendant “acquiesced without being subjected to compulsion or intimidation after being fully informed of his rights.” (People v. Pittman (1973), 55 Ill. 2d 39, 56, 302 N.E.2d 7, 15-16.) The resumption of questioning was not violative of the principles of Miranda and Mosley. The majority takes the position that even though a reinterrogation following a defendant’s exercise of his right to remain silent may be preceded by a significant time interval and a second set of Miranda warnings, a statement subsequently made by the defendant is automatically rendered inadmissible unless the State proves in addition that some event was communicated to the defendant which would “indicate the reasonableness of the reconsideration of his position.” The placing of this added burden upon the State is not mandated by Miranda, Mosley, or the constitution, nor in my view is it required. The right of a criminal defendant to remain silent is amply protected by examination of police conduct in light of Mosley. If the record reflects a failure on the part of law enforcement authorities to appreciate and honor a defendant’s desire to terminate questioning through the exercise of his constitutional rights, the exclusionary rule operates to prevent any statements obtained as a result of the resumption of interrogation from being admitted into evidence regardless of the defendant’s motivation for speaking. Likewise, if the dictates of Mosley are followed, and the defendant’s right to remain silent is scrupulously honored, the reason why the defendant speaks pursuant to a subsequent interrogation is, for Mosley purposes, irrelevant. What is under scrutiny in both Mosley and Miranda is police conduct and procedure, not the reasoning behind the defendant’s decision to speak. The majority’s decision to impose upon the State the added burden of showing the defendant’s motivation to make a statement does not aid in the elimination of overt attempts by law enforcement authorities to elicit confessions from suspects through ceaseless interrogation once the police are informed that questioning is to be terminated, which is the aim of Mosley and Miranda. Assuming arguendo that the State has the added burden of showing that theré was communicated to the defendant some event “which might indicate the reasonableness of the reconsideration of his position,” I believe this burden has been met in the instant case. The record reveals adequate motivation for the defendant’s decision to waive his previously asserted right to silence. Present with the defendant when the reinterrogation commenced on the morning of J anuary 26 were his father and Percy Baker, his legal guardian. At the outset, the defendant was confronted with a number of discrepancies that existed in the statements he had made to the police the previous day regarding his activities the day of the murders. There can be little doubt that defendant Savory’s conscious and voluntary decision to waive his right to silence and speak was motivated at least in part by a desire to explain away the discrepancies in the presence of his father and guardian. (Cf. People v. Perez (1979), 72 Ill. App. 3d 790, 391 N.E.2d 456 (defendant decides to speak after being confronted with victim’s ring).) In light of the circumstances, the defendant’s decision to speak was reasonable, and I believe satisfies the requirement of the majority, if it be necessary, regarding the burden placed upon the State beyond that imposed by Mosley. Even if the defendant’s right to remain silent was violated by the resumption of questioning the morning following his arrest, I believe that the defendant’s confession, given much later in the day, was nevertheless admissible. The failure of the police to honor a defendant’s right to remain silent constitutes a violation of the procedural safeguards mandated by Miranda. (See People v. Gibson (1977), 55 Ill. App. 3d 929, 371 N.E.2d 341.) However, the Illinois Supreme Court has held that the effect of such procedural Miranda violation may be neutralized by subsequent events so as to make a confession obtained after the violation admissible. (People v. White (1975), 61 Ill. 2d 288, 335 N.E.2d 457.) In White, the supreme court was faced with a procedural Miranda violation in the form of a failure to furnish the defendant with counsel after representation was requested. The court found that “the effect of the procedural violation of the Miranda standards was sufficiently dissipated by lapse of time, repeated admonitions and other intervening events so that the defendant’s confession was voluntary and was therefore properly received in evidence.” (61 Ill. 2d 288, 297, 335 N.E.2d 457.) Applying the factors found to be important in White to the case at bar, it appears that the effect of the Miranda violation (if there was one at all) was sufficiently attenuated, and the confession therefore properly obtained. The alleged Miranda violation occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. on January 26 when reinterrogation commenced. No confession, however, was obtained until 7:30 that evening. During the time between the resumption of interrogation and the eventual confession, the defendant ate two meals, was allowed to speak at length with Officer Marcella Brown after requesting an opportunity to speak with her privately (and after stating that he “would tell everything”), changed his clothes and voluntarily took a second polygraph examination. It is true that repeated Miranda admonitions were not given during the day, but “it is not necessary to repeat the warnings at the beginning of each successive interview to avoid a Miranda violation.” (People v. Bundy (1979), 79 Ill. App. 3d 127, 133, 398 N.E.2d 345, 349.) The lapse of time from the commencement of reinterrogation to the subsequent confession, coupled with the circumstances and the events during the day, attenuated any deleterious effect of the initial Miranda violation. For this alternative reason the confession was properly received into evidence. The majority concludes by stating that all of the facts in this case support the “general conclusion” that the defendant’s statement was involuntary. In People v. Ybarra (1977), 46 Ill. App. 3d 1049, 1050, 361 N.E.2d 678, 679, the court stated: “Whether a statement is voluntarily given depends upon the totality of the circumstances. The test is whether it has been made freely, voluntarily and without compulsion or inducement of any sort, or whether the defendant’s will was overcome at the time he confessed. In making its decision, the trial court need not be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, and the trial court’s finding that the statement was voluntary will not be disturbed unless it is contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. (People v. Prim (1972), 53 Ill. 2d 62, 289 N.E.2d 601, cert. denied, 412 U.S. 918.)” (Accord, People v. Pittman (1973), 55 Ill. 2d 39, 302 N.E.2d 7; People v. Boerckel (1979), 68 Ill. App. 3d 103, 385 N.E.2d 815.) It cannot be denied that in this case the defendant was in custody for over 24 hours before he confessed to the murders of James Robinson and Connie Cooper (although until approximately 11 p.m. on the 25th he was not a suspect, and there is no evidence that he would have been restrained had he attempted to leave the police station prior to that time), and there is no doubt that courts are to be particularly mindful of interrogations involving juveniles. (Haley v. Ohio (1948), 332 U.S. 596, 92 L. Ed. 224, 68 S. Ct. 302; People v. Simmons (1978), 60 Ill. 2d 173, 326 N.E.2d 383; People v. Stone (1978), 61 Ill. App. 3d 654, 378 N.E.2d 263.) However, the circumstances surrounding this confession compel a finding of voluntariness. When the questioning of the defendant resumed on the morning of January 26 after a complete cessation for almost 12 hours, the defendant was not told by the police to confess to the murders. He was, rather, merely confronted with the discrepancies in his previous statements, and asked to explain them. Shortly before noon, the defendant’s father, who had been present, told the defendant to tell the truth. At noon, the defendant ate lunch by himself, and approximately 35 minutes later told two police officers and his guardian Baker that he would “tell everything” but only to Officer Marcella Brown. At this time Officer Brown and the defendant met privately in the office of the juvenile bureau lieutenant, and, according to Officer Brown, the first thing the defendant told her was “to get a piece of paper and a pencil and write down everything he told me having to do with this incident.” The defendant then described, in narrative form, his activities on the day of the murders, insisting that Officer Brown write down everything. When the defendant was finished, Officer Brown asked the defendant’s legal guardian, Baker, to come into the office. It was readily apparent that the statements the defendant had previously given to Baker were inconsistent with the statement he had just given to Brown, and consequently both Brown and Baker asked the defendant to explain the discrepancies. About 45 minutes later they were joined by Officer Fires. At 4:30, the questioning ceased, and the defendant had dinner. After dinner, the defendant changed his clothes and at approximately 6 arrived at the office of the polygraph examiner with Officers Brown and Fires and Mr. Baker. No police officers were present when the defendant took the examination. At approximately 7:30 the polygraph examination ended and, Officer Brown testified, the following occurred: “A. I entered the polygraph room where Johnny Savory was seated in a chair and had a conversation with him. Q. Did he indicate a willingness to talk with you at that time? A. Yes, he did. I asked him what he wanted to talk to me about and he had requested to talk to me and he then gave me a narrative of his involvement in the murders in this case and admitted that he had killed Connie Cooper and James Robinson. Q. Who was present at that time? A. Just myself and Johnny Savory.” At no time prior to his confession was the defendant told to confess to the murders of James Robinson and Connie Cooper. The police officers instead focused their questioning of the defendant on the discrepancies in his story. The defendant never told the police to cease the questioning. In addition, he agreed to take the polygraph examination on the evening of the 26th, and when he eventually did confess, did so voluntarily and to the police officer whom he apparently trusted the most and with whom he felt the most comfortable. This is not a case where police compulsion caused a defendant’s will to be overcome. The defendant here, who was street-wise and not naive with regard to the procedures of the police department, simply realized that he had been caught in a web of his own making and had no recourse but to admit the killings. I believe the confession was voluntary, and would affirm the defendant’s convictions.