Court Opinion

ID: 9647032
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 13:21:48.003391+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:44.977238
License: Public Domain

Allen, C J.
Defendant appeals his conviction for sexual assault, 13 V.S.A. § 3252(a)(1), alleging three errors. First, defendant contends that the trial court erred in holding that he was capable, notwithstanding his low IQ, of a knowing and intelligent waiver of his Miranda rights. Second, defendant argues that the trial court erred by denying his motions for an additional competency hearing, a psychological evaluation and a continuance. Finally, defendant alleges that the trial court improperly admitted hearsay evidence as excited utterances. We affirm.
On January 12, 1990, the victim was sexually assaulted and identified defendant, a person known to her, as her assailant. The victim identified defendant to her father over the telephone, to the examining physician at the hospital, to the trooper who met her at the hospital, and, finally, to the detective who also came to the emergency room. The victim later identified defendant in a photographic lineup. Defendant was arrested and taken into custody. After explaining the Miranda rights to defendant and obtaining a waiver, a detective interviewed him. During this interview, defendant did not confess to the assault but admitted being in the victim’s store on the day of the assault.
Defendant moved to suppress his statements, arguing that he could not have knowingly and intelligently waived his Miranda rights because he exhibited difficulty understanding the Miranda warnings. This motion was denied. Subsequently, it was discovered that defendant had a full scale IQ of 72, indicating he is borderline to being *134retarded. Defendant renewed his motion to suppress, and the trial court again denied the motion.
The trial court did, however, order a psychiatric evaluation and competency hearing, after which the court determined that defendant was competent to stand trial. Nearly five months later, on July 17, 1991, defense counsel moved for a continuance and a psychological evaluation of defendant’s competence to stand trial. The court held a hearing on the motions the following day. Regarding the motion for a second competency evaluation, the court noted that Dr. Theodore Robbins, who performed the first competency evaluation, had examined defendant three days before on July 15. Dr. Robbins had communicated to the court that he still believed defendant was competent to stand trial, and the court agreed. The court denied both motions without taking evidence. Defendant was subsequently tried and convicted.
I.
Defendant moved twice, unsuccessfully, to suppress his statements to police, alleging that he had not knowingly and intelligently waived his rights to remain silent and to the assistance of counsel. Because he was given the required Miranda warnings before interrogation ensued, a valid waiver depends on two findings.
First, the relinquishment of the right must have been voluntary in the sense that it was the product of a free and deliberate choice rather than intimidation, coercion, or deception. Second, the waiver must have been made with a full awareness of both the nature of the right being abandoned and the consequences of the decision to abandon it. Only if the “totality of the circumstances surrounding the interrogation” reveals both an uncoerced choice and the requisite level of comprehension may a court properly conclude that the Miranda rights have been waived.
Moran v. Burbine, 475 U.S. 412, 421 (1986) (quoting Fare v. Michael C., 442 U.S. 707, 725 (1979)). Defendant does not claim that police coerced him, “a necessary predicate to the finding that a confession is not ‘voluntary.’” Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 167, 169-70 (1986). Thus, our inquiry concerns only whether defendant’s waiver was knowing and intelligent, which the State must prove by a preponderance of the evidence. State v. Badger, 141 Vt. 480, 439, 450 A.2d 336, 341 (1982).
In both motions, defendant contended that he did not understand his rights or the consequences of waiving them. To be consti*135tutional, a waiver must be made with a “requisite level of comprehension,” such that an individual has “a full awareness of both the nature of the right being abandoned and the consequences of the decision to abandon it.” Moran, 475 U.S. at 421. The trial court must consider the “totality of the circumstances” in determining whether the defendant understood the Miranda warnings. Fare v. Michael C., 442 U.S. at 725. The factors relevant to this inquiry include defendant’s “experience, education, background, intelligence or capacity to understand the warnings and the meaning of a waiver.” State v. Malinowski, 148 Vt. 517, 522, 536 A.2d 921, 924 (1987).
This Court accords great deference to the trial court’s findings under the totality of the circumstances approach. Id. at 520, 536 A.2d at 923. In making these findings, the trial court determines the weight and sufficiency of the evidence, including the credibility of the witnesses and the persuasive effect of their testimony. State v. Wall, 137 Vt. 482, 486, 408 A.2d 632, 635 (1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1060 (1980). That determination stands “if supported by credible evidence, although there may be inconsistencies or even substantial evidence to the contrary.” Id. The findings must stand unless they are clearly erroneous. Malinowski, 148 Vt. at 520, 536 A.2d at 923.
A.
We turn first to the denial of defendant’s initial motion to suppress. When that motion was heard, the evidence consisted of testimony by the interrogating officer, a signed copy of the Miranda warnings issued to defendant, and a transcript of the interrogation. Defendant did not testify at the hearing, or raise the issue of his level of intelligence. Defense counsel did cross-examine the interrogating officer, Detective Jeffrey Cable. Neither the interrogating police officer nor the court knew that defendant’s IQ was borderline to retarded.
The interrogating officer testified that defendant acted as if he understood what was being said, that he did not appear to be under the influence of drugs, and that he understood English. Moreover, the transcript of the interrogation reveals that defendant was an adult and had graduated from high school. Based on this evidence, the court found that:
defendant understood English; had no physical or mental disability affecting his ability to hear and understand Detective Cable; exhibited no signs of being under the influence of alcohol *136or drugs; responded to questions coherently, logically and appropriately; detailed his activities the day prior to the interrogation to a degree where he described the clothing he was wearing at that time. He exhibited sufficient coherence of thought to adequately demonstrate a mental capacity to understand and intelligently waive his Miranda rights to remain silent and to the assistance of counsel.
In short, the court took evidence on factors deemed important to evaluating a waiver of Miranda rights. See Malinowski, 148 Vt. at 522, 536 A.2d at 924.
Defendant argues that the court never considered the totality of the circumstances, because it did not discover that defendant cannot read and write, and that he apparently had no previous experience with the police. In this vein, the dissent believes that the colloquy between the police officers and defendant should have raised sufficient doubt about his intelligence to compel the State to delve further into defendant’s background prior to questioning. Having so concluded, the dissent goes on to fault the trial court for not undertaking the “cursory check” that would have revealed defendant’s limitations. The trial court, however, expressly noted that
[although the State did not introduce any evidence as to the defendant’s age, education or prior experience with law enforcement authorities, it did introduce by way of [the interrogating officer’s] observations of the defendant and the verbatim transcript of the entire interrogation in question sufficient evidence going to the defendant’s background, intelligence and general capacity to understand the waiver, to permit the Court to adequately evaluate this issue, especially in light of the fact that no issue has been raised casting doubt on the defendant’s mental capacity or physical ability to understand the nature of the asserted waiver.
In ruling that the evidentiary record was sufficient to support a finding of waiver, the court did not relieve the State of its burden to prove that defendant’s waiver was knowing and voluntary. How defendant had performed in the context of the interrogation was more important than his specific age, education, or IQ. The trial court weighed evidence provided by the State on each relevant factor in determining that defendant intelligently waived his Miranda rights.
In effect, defendant and the dissent would put the burden on interrogating police officers and the court to discover or diagnose *137mental deficiencies not reasonably evident. Defendant answered “yes” to every question about understanding his rights, questions that were repeated when defendant hesitated in his initial responses. Police officers are not trained psychologists; as a general rule, it would not be desirable to have them interpret “yes” to mean “no.”
With the benefit of perfect hindsight, the dissent argues that defendant answered ambivalently, and that this should have prompted an in-depth inquiry. But in the context of circumstances then known, the officers responded reasonably by repeating the questions to defendant to ensure he understood them. After defendant responded “yes” to each question concerning his rights, the officer again asked if he understood each right. Defendant answered, “Trying to, but yes.” The officer acknowledged that defendant’s uncertain answer indicated that defendant was having some trouble understanding. Under the circumstances, however, defendant’s response did not necessarily evidence the lack of sufficient intelligence to understand the rights he waived. The officer then repeated the litany of rights and paraphrased the critical right to silence: “In other words, you don’t have to talk to me now if you don’t want to.” He then asked if defendant understood and defendant said, “Yeah.” This answer sufficed to dispel any doubts the officer may have had regarding defendant’s capacity to understand his rights and the significance of their waiver. Finally, when the officer informed defendant that if he opted to answer questions he could stop at any time, defendant answered, “Yeah. I know I got a right to, I guess.”
When the officer asked defendant if he wanted to talk, defendant volunteered that “I ain’t got nothing to hide, so I can’t see why not.” This statement indicated that defendant understood that he was' involved in an adversarial process and that if he had something to hide, he could protect himself by not speaking. Although the record does not show the full extent of defendant’s capacity to fathom the intricacies of the legal system, it does show that defendant had the kind of concrete understanding of his rights necessary for an intelligent and voluntary waiver. See State v. Cleary, 161 Vt. 403, 411, 412, 641 A.2d 102, 107, 108 (1994) (person waiving right need not have thorough understanding of all potential legal consequences; nothing more required than a concrete understanding of meaning of right and effect of waiver).
The evidence before the court showed nothing in this colloquy that triggered suspicion that defendant had a borderline IQ. Rather, *138defendant functioned adequately in the situation, answering questions appropriately. He did not simply answer “yes” to everything; he was able to express his need for help with some parts of the process. The dissent’s general remarks about coerciveness of police interrogation and its effect on mentally retarded defendants are irrelevant in this case, because there was no evidence that defendant was coerced, and defendant makes no such claim on appeal. The trial court made a common-sense ruling based on a preponderance of credible evidence that defendant knowingly and intelligently waived his rights to remain silent and to the assistance of counsel. The law does not require more.
B.
In July 1991, defendant renewed his motion to suppress his statements before a different judge, who presided at trial. This time, the court had before it evidence that defendant had a borderline IQ of 72.* The trial judge may have had the additional knowledge that defendant’s intelligence was borderline retarded, but evidence of a low IQ, in itself, does not compel a finding that defendant was unable to understand his Miranda rights. See Cleary, 161 Vt. at 406-07, 641 A.2d at 105. Rather, suppression of evidence is warranted only if a defendant’s impairment is shown to have interfered with the ability to exercise rights in the particular circumstances of the interrogation. Id.; cf. In re Robinson, 161 Vt. 550, 555, 641 A.2d 779, 782 (1994) (in assessing voluntariness of incriminating statement under Vermont Constitution, there must be proof of link between mental illness and making of statement). In making this assessment, the trial judge had the benefit of knowing not only defendant’s IQ, but also the entirety of the expert’s report. The focus of that report was defendant’s mental competence to stand trial as well as his sanity at the time of committing the crime. It provided the court with additional context to evaluate defendant’s ability to waive his rights.
In his report, the expert noted that defendant had borderline intelligence and a history of alcohol abuse. He added:
*139Mr. Ives’ school history is consistent with this level of intelligence. He says he went to school to the 12th grade but never learned to read. In spite of his limited intellect and alcohol abuse problem he has subsisted through odd jobs and at times has worked in a local wood working mill.
As to defendant’s understanding of the legal system, the expert noted:
When asked about the charges against him he was clear as to his innocence and the consequences of being found guilty. He understood who the various members of the court were and was clear as to how he should behave in court. He felt he could work with his attorney and was aware about his change of attorney caused by his attorney’s conflict of interest. He was clear about the events of the day in which his alleged crime occurred and seemed able to work with his attorney.
The expert concluded:
Mr. Ives is an individual with limited intellect who has a history of chronic alcohol abuse. He lives on his own with assistance in his financial transactions. He works part time doing chores for local farmers and has no history of violent or aggressive behavior. He is basically responsible for himself and understands legal and illegal behavior. He is clear about the court process and understands the charges against him. He is not sophisticated but knows the facts and understands the role of his defense attorney. He has shown no form of psychiatric orientational behavior other than alcohol abuse. Therefore, I conclude that Mr. Ives is competent to stand trial.
The expert’s conclusions were uncontradicted except for defense counsel’s repeated assertions that he had difficulty communicating with his client. On the second motion to suppress, the trial judge had more complete information about defendant’s education, background, and intelligence. Nothing in the expert’s report calls into question what the court had previously found — that defendant had the kind of concrete understanding of his rights sufficient to waive them. In summary, the trial court correctly determined that defendant knowingly and intelligently waived his rights to the assistance of counsel and to silence before police questioning ensued.
*140II.
In November 1990, one month after the court decided the first motion to suppress, defendant was assigned a new attorney. Counsel raised the issue of defendant’s intelligence level for the first time, in a motion for a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he was competent to stand trial. The motion asserted that serious questions had arisen “with respect to defendant’s ability to undei stand the nature of the cause against him and his ability to assist in the preparation of his defense.” An examination was ordered and a competency hearing held on February 20, 1991. In the hearing, the examining psychiatrist testified that despite a borderline IQ, defendant clearly understood right from wrong and the events that surrounded the alleged offense. The psychiatrist concluded that defendant was competent to stand trial. Defendant offered no evidence at the hearing and waived written findings. The court found defendant competent to stand trial.
After this hearing, the prosecution reported that it was ready for trial; the defense indicated that it would be ready in sixty days. The case was set for trial for the week of June 24, 1991, but was rescheduled for the week of July 22, 1991 at the request of defendant’s counsel because of a trial conflict. At a status conference held on July 12, defense counsel indicated that he had had difficulties communicating with his client. The court ordered the psychiatrist who had earlier examined defendant to reevaluate him and advise the court immediately of the results of the examination. Again, the psychiatrist opined that defendant was competent to stand trial. On July 17, the defense moved for a continuance and a psychological evaluation. Defense counsel persisted in maintaining that defendant was incompetent, and alleged that additional time was needed to permit the psychological testing and to accommodate defense counsel’s extremely busy trial schedule, which had prevented him from preparing for trial. The court denied defendant’s motion for psychological testing at a hearing on July 18.
Defendant first argues that the court erred in denying his motion for a second evaluation without a proper evidentiary hearing. The statute governing the determination of competency provides:
If a person ... at any time before final judgment, raises before the court ... the issue of whether such person is incompetent to stand trial ... a hearing shall be held before such court at which evidence shall be received and a finding made *141regarding his competency to stand trial. However, in cases where the court has reason to believe that such person may be incompetent to stand trial due to a mental disease or mental defect, such hearing shall not be held until an examination has been made and a report submitted by an examining psychiatrist
13 V.S.A. § 4817(b). The court considered defendant’s motion for a second competency determination at a hearing the following day. At that hearing, defendant’s attorney only reiterated his belief that questions remained about his client’s ability to deal with matters at trial. No new evidence was presented on the issue of competence, but the court did have information that Dr. Robbins had affirmed his opinion that defendant was competent, having examined him three days before. Based on this updated evaluation and the results of the first competency hearing, the court again found that defendant was competent to stand trial, and denied the motion for an additional evaluation and competency hearing.
Defendant requested psychological testing, but the statute requires only that psychiatric testing be provided in certain circumstances. See id. § 4817(b). Convinced that defendant was competent to stand trial, the court was not obligated to order further evaluation. See State v. Welch, 159 Vt. 272, 276-77, 617 A.2d 427, 430-31 (1992) (trial court may use its discretion on basis of evidence before it in determining whether defendant is incompetent and thus entitled to a psychiatric evaluation). In light of the psychiatrist’s continued finding of competence, and defense counsel’s failure to offer any contradictory evidence, the trial court reasonably could have denied the motion for the psychological evaluation. The court did not abuse its discretion, and hence there was no error.
Similarly, we see no reason to disturb the denial of a continuance. This is a matter within the trial court’s discretion, “[s]o long as such a decision is not based on improper or illegal considerations.” State v. Perry, 131 Vt. 337, 341-42, 306 A.2d 110, 113 (1973). The trial court could have denied the motion for a continuance on the ground that it was not supported by an affidavit. V.R.Cr.P. 50(c); cf. State v. Carter, 154 Vt. 646, 646-47, 577 A.2d 280, 281 (1990) (mem.) (defendant’s failure to submit accompanying affidavit with motion to disqualify assistant judge was grounds for denial under V.R.Cr.P. 50(d)). Instead, the court heard defense counsel’s reasons for the *142requested continuance and concluded that they did not warrant granting the motion.
The attorney had been assigned to represent defendant early in November of 1990. At the time of his assignment, all discovery and investigation had been completed by prior counsel. Defense counsel had indicated to the court in February of 1991 that he would be ready for trial in sixty days. The earlier continuance was granted to accommodate a trial conflict, not a lack of preparedness. No indication of such a problem surfaced at the status conferences held prior to trial. By the time of the hearing on the motion to continue, counsel had abandoned any notion of raising a diminished capacity or insanity defense in favor of a theory of mistaken identity. Counsel for the defense, however, based his request for a continuance partly on the grounds of needing time to conduct psychological testing, and it was unclear to the trial court as to how this testing would assist in a mistaken-identity defense. In any event, counsel had ample time to conduct such testing even without a continuance. Defendant received a vigorous and competent defense, and does not suggest on appeal how he was prejudiced by the denial of the motion to continue. We find no abuse of discretion in denial of the motion to continue.
III.
Defendant’s final claim of error concerns the admission of statements that the victim made to her father. These statements, which identified defendant as her assailant and described the assault, were treated as excited utterances, an exception to the rule excluding hearsay. See V.R.E. 802. Defendant believes that the State failed to establish that the victim’s statements to her father were spontaneous or instinctive, or that they were uttered sufficiently close in time to the startling event.
Rulings regarding the admissibility of evidence are subject to review only for an abuse of discretion. See V.R.E. 104(a); State v. Ayers, 148 Vt. 421, 424, 535 A.2d 330, 332 (1987). Thus, we will uphold the trial court’s determination that the statements in question qualify as excited utterances if the decision has a reasonable basis. See State v. Goodrich, 151 Vt. 367, 375, 564 A.2d 1346, 1351 (1989). Rule 803(2) defines excited utterances as statements “relating to a startling event or condition made while the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by the event or condition.” V.R.E. 803(2). The statement need not be contemporaneous with the exciting event; “the *143key consideration is the condition of the declarant.” State v. Shaw, 149 Vt. 275, 281, 542 A.2d 1106, 1109 (1987) (statement made two to three hours after sexual assault held admissible as excited utterance where it was clear from testimony that declarant was under the stress of the sexual assault).
In this case, the State offered evidence that the father thought the victim was speaking of something that had happened quite recently, that he could tell from his daughter’s voice that she was upset, and that she had called her father soon after the assault. Based on this and other credible evidence, the trial court found that the victim was under the stress of a startling event, that the event had occurred very recently, that her voice was excited, and that her statements were not a product of reflection. These findings are supported by the testimony, and provided a reasonable basis to admit the victim’s statements as excited utterances. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the hearsay evidence.

Affirmed.

 Defendant’s second motion to suppress never requested an evaluation of the earlier ruling in light of new evidence. Instead, defendant identified the motion as one required to preserve the waiver issue on appeal, because the trial judge was not the same judge who denied the first motion to suppress. See State v. Senecal, 145 Vt. 554, 558, 497 A.2d 349, 351 (1985). The trial judge denied the motion, stating he had “fully reviewed” the prior opinion.