Court Opinion

ID: 9719181
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:45:11.29895+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:04.976845
License: Public Domain

SABERS, Justice
(dissenting).
Debra Jenner is entitled to a new trial. The State failed to meet its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that these statements were freely and voluntarily given. In addition, the State wholly failed to give required Miranda warnings in a custodial setting.
1. Admission of statements made by Jenner to the police on April 7, 1987.
Jenner claims that the trial court erred in admitting the statements she made to the police on April 7, 1987. She claims these statements were involuntary and violated her right to a fair trial under the Due Process Clause. She also claims the statements should have been suppressed because she was not advised of her Miranda rights. In response, the State argues that the trial court did not err in finding Jenner’s statements voluntary and that no Miranda warnings were necessary as she was not in custody.
A. Voluntariness of Jenner’s statements.
The use of involuntarily obtained confessions or statements deprive a defendant of due process of law. Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 107 S.Ct. 515, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986); Miller v. Fenton, 474 U.S. 104, 106 S.Ct. 445, 88 L.Ed.2d 405 (1985); Culombe v. Connecticut, 367 U.S. 568, 81 S.Ct. 1860, 6 L.Ed.2d 1037 (1961). As stated in Miller:
This Court has long held that certain interrogation techniques, either in isolation or as applied to the unique characteristics of a particular suspect, are so offensive to a civilized system of justice that they must be condemned under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Id., 474 U.S. at 109, 106 S.Ct. at 449, 88 L.Ed.?d at 410. The Supreme Court has *728stated that our criminal system is “an accu-satorial and not an inquisitorial system,” and the tactics used to elicit inculpatory statements must fall within the constitutional boundaries imposed by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Rogers v. Richmond, 365 U.S. 534, 541, 81 S.Ct. 735, 739, 5 L.Ed.2d 760, 766 (1961). The Court has continued to require that confessions be voluntary to satisfy the requirements of due process, Miller, supra, even after Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966), which extended the privilege against self-incrimination to custodial interrogations.
The voluntariness of a defendant’s statements is a question of fact to be determined from the totality of the circumstances. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973); State v. Hallman, 391 N.W.2d 191 (S.D. 1986); State v. Hartley, 326 N.W.2d 226 (S.D.1982). The Supreme Court has set out the following inquiry to determine volun-tariness:
‘Is the confession the product of an essentially free and unconstrained choice by its maker? If it is, if he has willed to confess, it may be used against him. If it is not, if his will has been overborne and his capacity for self-determination critically impaired, the use of his confession offends due process.’
In determining whether a defendant’s will was overborne in a particular case, the Court has assessed the totality of all the surrounding circumstances — both the characteristics of the accused and the details of the interrogation. Some of the factors taken into account have included the youth of the accused, his lack of education, or his low intelligence, the lack of any advice to the accused of his constitutional rights, the length of detention, the repeated and prolonged nature of the questioning, and the use of physical punishment such as the deprivation of food or sleep. In all these cases, the Court determined the factual circumstances surrounding the confession, assessed the psychological impact on the accused, and evaluated the legal significance of how the accused reacted.
Schneckloth, supra, 412 U.S. at 225-26, 93 S.Ct. at 2047, 36 L.Ed.2d at 862. (citations and footnote omitted).
The State has the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a statement was freely and voluntarily made by a defendant. State v. Gregg, 405 N.W.2d 49 (S.D.1987); State v. Volk, 331 N.W.2d 67 (S.D.1983); State v. Hintz, 318 N.W.2d 915 (S.D.1982). In reviewing the trial court's finding on voluntariness, we must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the decision and may reverse the decision only if we find it to be clearly erroneous. Hallman, supra; State v. Janis, 356 N.W.2d 916 (S.D.1984).
The totality of the circumstances requires an examination of both 1) the characteristics of the accused and 2) the details of the interrogation. Schneckloth, supra. In considering the characteristics of the accused, the trial court noted that Jenner had not slept much prior to the examination and that she had not eaten that day. The court also noted that she was intelligent and educated. These are the only facts the court considered as to the characteristics of the accused. The court concluded: “I do not feel that the lack of sleep or food affected the Defendant to'such an extent that it would make her statements involuntary.’’ Jenner argues that the trial court failed to consider the emotional and physical drain from the recent loss of her daughter. She argues that the court failed to mention her lack of previous experience with law enforcement and her deep respect for authority ingrained from her religious beliefs. Jenner also claims that the court considered her characteristics in isolation, rather than in connection with the effect the eight-hour interrogation had upon these characteristics, as required by the totality of the circumstances test.
We are hampered in our review of the interrogation itself, as was the trial court, because the agents failed to record the interrogation. However, it is undisputed that the DCI agents became accusatory immediately after the polygraph examination. Following the polygraph, three different agents took turns questioning Jen*729ner from 3:30 p.m. until approximately 10:00 p.m. During this time Jenner was never informed of her constitutional rights. The agents used various interrogation techniques which they admitted were aimed at compelling Jenner to confess. The agents repeatedly told Jenner that they did not believe her and that she should tell them the truth about her daughter’s death. The interrogation techniques included yelling and the use of false, hypothetical questions, such as her husband having told the agents that she committed the murder. The record reveals that the interrogators also played upon her strong religious convictions and her sex life with her husband. The interrogation continued through an evening family memorial service on the eve of Abby’s funeral. During these six hours of intense interrogation, the agents permitted Jenner to make two trips to the rest room and brought her one Diet Coke. There were no other breaks until Agent Giegling decided to terminate the interrogation because he concluded that Jenner was suffering a nervous breakdown. The agents testified that Jenner’s emotional state during the interrogation varied from calm to hysterical. There were times that she would cry and sob, while other times she would stare in complete silence.
While the use of certain interrogation techniques does not of itself invalidate a confession under the Due Process Clause, such techniques are important to the inquiry, and must be considered together with the characteristics of the accused. Miller, supra; Haynes v. Washington, 373 U.S. 503, 83 S.Ct. 1336, 10 L.Ed.2d 513 (1963). The Court has noted that such techniques may cross the line between “permissible police conduct” and “methods offensive to due process.” Haynes, supra. In this case, the psychological impact of these techniques upon Jenner was immense.
The State argues that Jenner made several comments during the interrogation which indicated the voluntariness of her statements. At one point she asked Agent DeVaney if he could hypnotize her to help her remember. At another point she asked Agent Giegling if he could “jar her memory.” While these statements are relevant in considering the totality of the circumstances, they are not controlling and must be viewed in the context of the interrogation. If anything, these statements indicate Jenner’s emotional breakdown, rather than any desire to make voluntary statements.
The trial court placed great emphasis on Jenner’s comments and the fact that she seemed to cooperate completely with the agents and never expressed a desire to terminate the interview. The court stated:
The one common thread throughout this whole proceeding which was glaringly evident to this Court was the total voluntary cooperation by the Defendant. She voluntarily came to the police station, accompanied by her family and friends; she voluntarily took the polygraph test and continually answered questions knowing she did not have to do so; she voluntarily provided physical evidence; she voluntarily signed consent forms; and she knew her husband had signed search consent forms. In short, the Defendant did not have to come down to the station, did not have to take any tests, did not have to answer any questions, and could leave at any time she wanted, and was well aware of her rights in this regard. The Defendant simply and unequivocally voluntarily cooperated with law enforcement.
Clearly, Jenner did not “know” that she could stop answering questions and was not “well aware of her rights” because the agents completely failed to inform her of these rights. Further, she did not know she was free to leave, if, in fact, she was. Though Jenner appeared generally cooperative with the agents, the State had the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this cooperation was of her own volition and not because her will was overborne during the interrogation. The State cannot meet this burden under the totality of the circumstances. Furthermore, mere cooperation in the early stages of a lengthy investigation does not make a statement voluntary. The majority ignores the fact that an intense, psychologically *730coercive interrogation intervened between the initial cooperation and the statements in question. The nature of that interrogation precludes the possibility of the statements actually being free and voluntary.
The State argues that deference must be given to the trial court’s decision, as the trial court is better able to determine the credibility of the witnesses. State v. Stumes, 90 S.D. 382, 241 N.W.2d 587 (1976). However, in this case most of the evidence of the interrogation is not disputed. It is undisputed that Jenner was never informed of her rights and that she was subjected to more than six hours of intense interrogation during which she was repeatedly accused of not telling the truth. It is undisputed that she was under a great deal of stress and trauma and that she had little sleep prior to the interrogation. It is clear that the agents used psychologically coercive interrogation techniques which caused Jenner to break down emotionally. Further, in finding that Jenner’s statements were voluntary the court emphasized certain evidence without assessing the totality of circumstances. In addition, the failure of the agents to record the interrogation with the listening and recording devices available to them makes it difficult for the State to sustain its burden. The testimony at the suppression hearing, which is the only evidence available to review, does not support the trial court’s finding that Jenner’s statements were voluntary beyond a reasonable doubt. Substantial doubt not only exists, it prevails. We should hold the trial court was clearly erroneous in determining that Jenner’s statements were voluntary and their use at trial violated her constitutional right to due process.
B. Failure to give Miranda rights.
The record also supports Jenner’s claim that the agents’ failure to advise her of her constitutional rights required suppression of the statements. The State concedes that the agents failed to read Jenner her Miranda rights, and I reject the State’s claim that no Miranda warnings were necessary because Jenner was not in custody during the questioning.
In Miranda the Supreme Court held that a suspect must be advised of the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney prior to any custodial interrogation. See also Oregon v. Mathiason, 429 U.S. 492, 97 S.Ct. 711, 50 L.Ed.2d 714 (1977). The Miranda Court stated that failure to give Miranda warnings under such circumstances creates a presumption of improper compulsion.
[O]ur accusatory system of criminal justice demands that the government seeking to punish an individual produce the evidence against him by its own independent labors, rather than by the cruel, simple expedient of compelling it from his own mouth, (citations omitted).
Id., 384 U.S. at 460, 86 S.Ct. at 1620, 16 L.Ed.2d at 715. The question of custody depends upon whether “the person being questioned is in custody or deprived of his or her freedom to leave.” State v. Bruske, 288 N.W.2d 319, 322 (S.D.1980). Though Jenner was not formally “in custody" on April 7, she was deprived of her freedom of action in a significant way.
In State v. McQuillen, 345 N.W.2d 867, 870 (S.D.1984), we stated:
This court has set forth a number of factors to be examined in determining whether an interrogation is custodial or noncustodial: probable cause to arrest, subjective intent of the defendant, focus of the investigation, nature of the interrogator, nature of the suspect, time and place of the interrogation, nature of the interrogation, and purpose of the investigation.
Although the police may not have had probable cause to arrest Jenner at the start of the interrogation, the other factors listed in McQuillen all tend to show that she was in custody.
The State argues that Jenner complied with all the officers’ questions and never tried to stop the interview. However, Jenner testified that she believed she was not free to leave. She also voiced an objection to the interrogation by asking Agent Gie-gling “Why are you putting me through this[.]” The agent apologized and then continued with his interrogation. It is ap*731parent that the investigation focused on Jenner as the prime suspect. In addition, this was not a short interrogation as that in McQuillen1 and it was often hostile and accusatory toward Jenner. In McQuillen the court noted that the conversation between the police officer and the suspect was calm and neither accusatory nor hostile. Further, this was Jenner’s first experience with law enforcement. Finally, the sole purpose of the interrogation was to obtain a confession from Jenner, not to gather further general information for the investigation of Abby’s murder. Under these circumstances, Jenner was in custody and Miranda warnings should have been given to her prior to the interrogation.
The majority overemphasizes its claim that Jenner was not actually physically restrained. Physical restraint is only one of many factors to be considered and is not dispositive in this case. When all the McQuillen factors are considered, it is evident that Jenner was subjected to a custodial interrogation even though she may have been allowed to get up and walk out.2
As the author of the majority opinion, Justice Henderson wholly ignores what he said recently in State v. Meek, 444 N.W.2d 48, 51-52 (S.D.1989):
Further, Meek was cajoled into taking the tests, an indication that his efforts were involuntary; note the majority opinion wherein police officer is quoted saying that it would be to Meek’s “advantage to try to do some tests ... ”, in other words, to incriminate himself. See, Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). The purpose of the officer’s actions, here, were to elicit incriminating responses, i.e., to gather incriminating evidence. Meek was, consequently, under the functional equivalent of interrogation, as defined in Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, 100 S.Ct. 1682, 64 L.Ed.2d 297 (1980).
The circumstances of this case warranted suppression. The majority’s reversal of the trial court is but one more in a series of cases which have chipped away constitutional protections for South Dakotans.
Erosions of liberty do not come in giant leaps, they come in miniscule encroachments often hidden to the trained and educated mind. Like a thief in the night, language can steal a liberty deeply ingrained in the fabric of the American way of life. I am afraid of each little encroachment on the liberty of my fellow Americans on the highway.
State v. Anderson, 331 N.W.2,d 568, 573 (S.D.1983) (Henderson, J., concurring in result). Here, the long-standing right against self-incrimination is being gradually eroded.
The obvious inconsistency in Justice Henderson’s writings reminds me of the saying: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”3
We recently held that Miranda is a bright line rule which must be adhered to when a person is in custody. Satter v. Solem, 434 N.W.2d 725 (S.D.1989), cert. denied, Rist v. Satter, — U.S. —, 109 S.Ct. 2432, 104 L.Ed.2d 989 (1989). Satter states: “After all, it requires no great effort to take out the Miranda card, read the subject his rights, and ask the simple questions: Do you understand your rights and do you waive them?” Id. at 727. The failure to administer Miranda warnings creates a presumption of compulsion and any unwarned statements must be suppressed. Oregon v. Elstad, 470 U.S. 298, 105 S.Ct. 1285, 84 L.Ed.2d 222 (1985); Satter, supra. . The statements made by Jenner following the lie detector test should *732have been suppressed, as they are in violation of Miranda.
Can a reasonable person really conclude: that the State met its burden of proof that these statements were voluntary beyond a reasonable doubt?
When recording equipment was available but no recordings were made or even attempted.
When trickery was used in the interrogation.
When experienced, intelligent officers failed to give required Miranda warnings.
When the officers quit only when they feared an immediate nervous breakdown.
To me, it is not even a close question that the statements were in voluntary. This is so without regard to the standard of review used: clearly erroneous or mixed question of fact and law necessitating full review. However, I join Justice Morgan's dissent in all respects.
Because we should reverse and remand for a new trial on Issue 1, it is not necessary to discuss the other issues raised by Jenner. We should also reject the State’s notice of review questions without discussion.

. In McQuillen, the defendant was interviewed twice in a locked interrogation room. The first interview lasted twenty to thirty minutes. There is no indication as to the length of the second interview, but it also appears to have been short.

. In fact, the Colorado Supreme Court found a custodial interrogation in somewhat similar circumstances even though the defendant was not forced to submit to questioning. In People v. Longoria, 717 P.2d 497 (Colo. 1986), the court determined the questioning of the defendant constituted a custodial interrogation where the police officers asked the defendant to accompany them to the police station to talk about a sexual assault. The officers specifically informed the defendant he was not under arrest.

.G. Santayana, The Life of Reason 82 (1954).