Court Opinion

ID: 9760815
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:17:50.085767+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:17.606066
License: Public Domain

CAVANAUGH, Judge,
dissenting:
I dissent from that part of the majority’s opinion which holds that the appellant’s incriminating statements to the police were voluntary.
*471Appellant contends that the court erred in admitting certain incriminating statements which he made. I agree, and although the evidence apart from the incriminating statements appears to be sufficient to sustain the appellant’s convictions, the erroneous admission of the statements was prejudicial to him. After the appellant was arrested he was read his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). At that time he stated that he did not want to talk to the police. Nevertheless the police continued conversation with the appellant and continued to question him. The conversation and interrogation lasted about forty-five minutes. Notwithstanding that appellant told detective Klee of the Scranton Police Department that he did not want to talk to the police the following occurred. Sergeant Klee testified as follows:
Q. And after you told him why he was arrested, did he make a remark to you?
A. Yes, sir, he did.
Q. And what was that remark?
A. After the reason being explained to him, Mr. Caswell stated that he was a gentleman bandit and he never hurt no one.
Q. Is that a quote?
A. Yes, quote, unquote.
Q. And whether or not Trooper Carlson made any statements to the defendant?
A. Yes, sir, he did.
Q. And whether or not the defendant responded?
A. Yes, he did.
Q. And what was his response?
A. The conversation and the statement made by Mr. Caswell was, “I thought that this was a hick town, and that you guys were ten years behind the time. But you guys sure did your homework.”
Q. And was the defendant asked whether or not he knew he was under surveillance?
A. Yes, sir, he was.
*472Q. And whether or not he responded?
A. Yes, sir, he did.
Q. What did he say?
A. His statement was he first became suspicious that the police were onto him was on April 27th of 1980 when a young boy came to his door—
Q. Did you ask the question whether he knew he was under surveillance?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And what did he respond?
A. He stated that he became suspicious on April 27th of this year when a young boy came to the front door of his home at 943 South Main Avenue and advised him that police were across the street watching his home and taking pictures. At this point he indicated to us that he believed he was becoming hot and that he was going to leave town and go to Florida.
Q. And did he say anything else?
A. Yes. He indicated to us that he had his bag packed with his clothing and belongings, and that right before he was arrested, he was going to leave town.
Q. Now, in fact, at the time of his arrest at 943 South Main Street, did you find a bag packed?
A. Yes sir. On the date of the arrest, April 29th, when Mr. Caswell was taken into custody, he asked me personally if I would go upstairs...
(Emphasis added).
Once a criminal defendant tells the police that he does not want to talk to them about the crime, interrogation must cease:
In [Commonwealth v.] Bullard [465 Pa. 341, 350 A.2d 797 (1976) ] appellant’s desire not to answer police questions was conveyed to the police through certain intermediaries. In the instant case appellant stated his desires directly to the interrogating officer involved, and the fact that he did not have the wherewithal to surrender *473himself to police in the presence of a judge, or did not have the presence of mind to request the assistance of an attorney at the same time he conveyed his desire not to speak, in no way derogates from his expression of a desire to exercise his constitutional right to remain silent. As stated by the Miranda court,
“[i]f the individual indicates in any manner, at any time prior to or during questioning, that he wishes to remain silent, the interrogation must cease. (Footnote omitted.) At this point he has shown that he intends to exercise his Fifth Amendment privilege; any statement taken after the person invokes his privilege cannot be other than the product of compulsion, subtle or otherwise.” (Emphasis added.)
384 U.S. 436, 473-474, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 1627-1628, 16 L.Ed.2d 694, 723 (1966).
Commonwealth v. Walker, 470 Pa. 534, 542, 368 A.2d 1284, 1288 (1977). (Emphasis added).
The majority relies on Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 101 S.Ct. 1880, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1981). That case held that when an accused has invoked his right to have counsel present during custodial interrogation, a valid waiver of that right cannot be established by showing only that he responded to further police-initiated custodial interrogation, even if he has been advised of his rights. This case is distinguishable from our own on its facts, and in my opinion lends little support to the majority.
The facts in the instant case should be read in the light of Commonwealth v. Rose, 265 Pa.Super. 159, 401 A.2d 1148 (1979).1 In that case the appellant contended that the police *474violated his rights under Miranda by interrogating him after he initially indicated he wished to remain silent. In Rose no interrogation took place after the appellant decided to remain silent. However, the police then confronted him with a ballistics report and other facts that they had gathered which connected him with other crimes and again read Miranda warnings. The appellant then made a statement concerning the crimes. This court stated at 265 Pa.Super. 168, 401 A.2d 1153: “... [AJfter a second reading of the Miranda warnings ... the appellant voluntarily relinquished his rights and made a statement concerning the crime.” The court also noted at 265 Pa.Super. 168, 401 A.2d 1153:
The evidence that improper police tactics were used is not convincing. Cf. Commonwealth v. Milton, 461 Pa. 535, 337 A.2d 282 (1975). Informing appellant of additional developments in the case can go toward exculpating as well as inculpating appellant’s involvement in the crime. As long as the Miranda warnings were properly readministered, which they were in this case, no error was committed in allowing into evidence the statements of appellant made after requestioning.
(Emphasis added)
In the instant case the police told the appellant why he was arrested and his statement that he was a gentleman bandit and never hurt anyone may be considered as a purely voluntary remark and not in response to interrogation. However, the police were not satisfied and continued with their questions as to whether he knew that he was under surveillance. This interrogation was clearly related to the crimes with which he was charged. Also the testimony was that Trooper Carlson made “statements to the appellant and he responded.” The statements were undoubtedly in the form of questions as the appellant responded to them. If we are to give any serious meaning to the rule of law that *475interrogation must cease when one indicates during questioning that he wishes to remain silent, we should grant a new trial in this case as the result of the continuation of interrogation after appellant stated that he did not want to talk to the police. In my opinion admission of the testimony was erroneous and for a reviewing court to conclude that an error is harmless it must be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the error did not contribute to the verdict. Commonwealth v. Terry, 275 Pa.Super. 184, 418 A.2d 673 (1980). I am not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant’s statement as to when and why he became aware of police surveillance and that he was getting ready to leave town as things were getting hot, did not contribute to the verdict. Examination of the record leads me to the conclusion that the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
I would reverse the judgment of sentence and remand for a new trial.

. The majority, in footnote 5, declined to apply Commonwealth v. Rose to the facts of the instant case, as the intervening time between the giving of the warnings and the statements was relatively short. In this respect, the majority misses the point. The issue is not how close in time a statement is made to the warning, but rather, is the statement voluntary. The majority cites Commonwealth v. Bradley, 449 Pa. 19, 295 A.2d 842 (1972) for the proposition that a "55 minute-old warning” is not stale. In Bradley, however, the accused after receiving the warnings did not tell the police officer, as in our case, that he did not want to talk to them. Another case cited by the *474majority in this respect is Commonwealth v. Bennett, 445 Pa. 8, 282 A.2d 276 (1971) in which the Supreme Court stated expressly that Miranda v. Arizona, supra, did not apply.