Court Opinion

ID: 9522870
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 02:33:06.86551+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:04:08.555187
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE McNAMARA, dissenting: I respectfully dissent from the majority’s decision reversing defendants’ convictions. The trial court correctly found that Curtis waived his constitutional right to counsel at the lineup and that the lineup and photographic identification procedures were not suggestive. There was also clear and convincing evidence presented to show that the in-court eyewitness identifications of both defendants were based on a source independent of the lineups. Accordingly, the trial court properly found that the testimony concerning the lineup identification of Curtis and the in-court identifications of both defendants was admissible at trial. I would affirm the convictions of both defendants. An accused’s sixth amendment right to counsel attaches at the commencement of adversarial judicial criminal proceedings. (Moore v. Illinois (1977), 434 U.S. 220, 54 L. Ed. 2d 424, 98 S. Ct. 458; People v. Burbank (1972), 53 Ill. 2d 261, 291 N.E.2d 161, cert, denied (1973), 412 U.S. 951, 37 L. Ed. 2d 1004, 93 S. Ct. 3017.) However, neither the United States Supreme Court nor our supreme court have decided whether sixth amendment rights attach upon the filing of a complaint and the issuance of an arrest warrant. Nevertheless, it is unnecessary to address this issue, because the trial court had ample proof to find that Curtis waived any right to counsel. A waiver of counsel must be voluntary and must constitute a knowing and intelligent relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege. (Edwards v. Arizona (1981), 451 U.S. 477, 68 L. Ed. 2d 378, 101 S. Ct. 1880.) A determination of waiver depends “upon the particular facts and circumstances surrounding that case, including the background, experience, and conduct of the accused.” (Johnson v. Zerbst (1938), 304 U.S. 458, 464, 82 L. Ed. 1461, 1466, 58 S. Ct. 1019, 1023.) It is for the trial court to decide whether there has been a waiver of the right to counsel; the court need not be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, and the court’s decision will not be disturbed unless it is against the manifest weight of the evidence. (People v. Dailey (1972), 51 Ill. 2d 239, 282 N.E.2d 129.) Moreover, our supreme court has held that “a valid relinquishment of the right to counsel is not dependent upon an express waiver.” People v. Martin (1984), 102 Ill. 2d 412, 425, 466 N.E.2d 228, cert, denied (1984), 469 U.S. 935, 83 L. Ed. 2d 270,105 S. Ct. 334. Before being placed in the lineup, Curtis was informed of his right to counsel at the lineup. The majority states that Curtis’ statements as reported by the police officers that he wanted to “wait and see” before calling an attorney and that he did not wish to call an attorney before the lineup because he was “gonna play it by ear” do not indicate a waiver. Contrary to the majority’s holding, the surrounding facts and circumstances and Curtis’ background and conduct demonstrate that he knew he had a right to an attorney and waived that right. When Curtis was initially advised of his right to counsel, the police testified that Curtis stated he had three lawyers, but did not want to call them. He had not made up his mind which attorney to call or if he was going to contact an attorney. After making two calls, Curtis stated that he would “play it by ear” and did not want to make a call or have an attorney present. He thereafter proceeded voluntarily to the lineup without an attorney. Although Curtis may have been unfamiliar with a station-house setting, he had a high school education and had served in the military. He had contact with attorneys in the past and was advised that this was a serious case. Curtis chose to deal with the authorities on his own and to make his own legal decisions. (See Brewer v. Williams (1977), 430 U.S. 387, 51 L. Ed. 2d 424, 97 S. Ct. 1232.) Curtis’ background and experience demonstrate that he understood his right to counsel, and his language and conduct prior to the lineup show that he knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived this right. The majority also asserts that, according to Edwards v. Arizona (1981), 451 U.S. 477, 68 L. Ed. 2d 378, 101 S. Ct. 1880, any police-initiated conversation with Curtis after he asserted his right to counsel was improper and should not be used as the basis for its finding. The United States Supreme Court has recently set forth its analysis of the fifth amendment right to counsel in Smith v. Illinois (1984), 469 U.S. 91, 83 L. Ed. 2d 488, 105 S. Ct. 490. Two distinct inquiries are necessary in determining a fifth amendment constitutional violation: whether the accused invoked his right to counsel and if so, whether the accused initiated further conversation with police and thereafter knowingly and intelligently waived his right. The fallacy in extending the fifth amendment Edwards-Smith analysis to a sixth amendment lineup is that the right to counsel in each instance exists to protect different constitutional rights. The fifth amendment right to counsel attaches to protect an accused from self-incrimination during custodial interrogation. (Edwards v. Arizona (1981), 451 U.S. 477, 68 L. Ed. 2d 378, 101 S. Ct. 1880.) The sixth amendment right to counsel provides an attorney to assist an accused and insure fairness at the beginning of adversary judicial proceedings. (Kirby v. Illinois (1972), 406 U.S. 682, 32 L. Ed. 2d 411, 92 S. Ct. 1877.) While an accused can assert his fifth amendment right and halt questioning, an accused cannot halt a police investigation or judicial proceeding. Therefore, applying the Edwards-Smith proscription that police cannot initiate further questioning once a lawyer has been requested to a sixth amendment lineup setting is illogical and improper. (See Rhode Island v. Innis (1980), 446 U.S. 291, 64 L. Ed. 2d 297,100 S. Ct. 1682.) It is entirely appropriate for police officers to again ask an accused if he wishes to call a lawyer or if he has contacted a lawyer, and if so, when the lawyer is expected to arrive. It would be impractical to prohibit any further inquiry concerning the request for a presence of an attorney at the anticipated lineup. The State should not have to wait until the accused initiates further conversation to determine if or when an attorney is coming. For sixth amendment lineup purposes, police officers should be able to make further inquiries concerning counsel without a constitutional violation. Moreover, even if the Edwards-Smith rule did apply to a sixth amendment lineup setting, there is no clear and unequivocal indication that Curtis requested an attorney’s presence at the lineup. When advised of his right to counsel, Curtis responded equivocally. His statements and conduct showed indecisiveness and do not demonstrate a clear request for counsel. (See People v. Krueger (1980), 82 Ill. 2d 305, 412 N.E.2d 537, cert, denied (1981), 451 U.S. 1019, 69 L. Ed. 2d 390, 101 S. Ct. 3009; People v. Winston (1982), 106 Ill. App. 3d 673, 435 N.E.2d 1327.) This is not to say that an accused must make two separate requests for counsel for fifth and sixth amendment purposes. The right to counsel is not dependent on a request by the defendant. (Brewer v. Williams (1977), 430 U.S. 387, 51 L. Ed. 2d 424, 97 S. Ct. 1232.) Courts, however, must engage in separate inquiries to determine constitutional violations of those rights. See Edwards v. Arizona (1981), 451 U.S. 477, 68 L. Ed. 2d 378, 101 S. Ct. 1880. The majority concludes that, because of the sixth amendment violation, the State was not entitled to show either that the testimony and photographic evidence of pretrial identification or that the in-court identification had an independent source. The majority’s conclusion is contrary to the interpretation of the Wade-Gilbert exclusionary rule. (See Moore v. Illinois (1977), 434 U.S. 220, 54 L. Ed. 2d 424, 98 S. Ct. 458.) Even if a lineup identification violates an accused’s sixth amendment right, subsequent in-court identifications are still admissible if based on a source independent of and untainted by the lineup identifications. United States v. Wade (1967), 388 U.S. 218,18 L. Ed. 2d 1149, 87 S. Ct. 1926; People v. McDonald (1975), 62 Ill. 2d 448, 343 N.E.2d 489. The record reveals that both Buckle and Harris had ample opportunity to view defendants the evening of the robbery. Buckle testified that the liquor store had fluorescent lighting and that defendants were in the store approximately 15 minutes. Buckle had face-to-face conversations with both defendants and observed them at a close distance while they removed money from the safe and cash registers. Immediately after the robbery, Buckle described the physical characteristics of the robbers to the police. Those descriptions substantially matched the actual descriptions of Curtis and Ryder. Buckle identified both defendants from an array of five photographs, one week before defendants’ arrest and lineup. Harris testified that she observed both defendants in the store prior to the actual robbery and that she was standing approximately five feet from the black man and seven feet from the white man. Harris also observed defendants during the 15-minute robbery and thereafter furnished a description to the police which matches defendants’ actual descriptions. Harris viewed a photographic array and stated that defendants’ photographs looked similar to those of the robbers. The testimony of both witnesses reveals no discrepancy between any prelineup descriptions and defendants’ actual descriptions nor any failure to identify defendants on a prior occasion. (People v. Marshall (1977), 47 Ill. App. 3d 784, 365 N.E.2d 367.) The trial court had ample evidence that the in-court identifications of defendants were based upon origins independent of the lineups and, therefore, the absence of defense counsel at the lineups does not require reversal on appeal. (People v. McDonald (1975), 62 Ill. 2d 448, 343 N.E.2d 489; People v. Giovanetti (1979), 70 Ill. App. 3d 275, 387 N.E.2d 1071; People v. Shorter (1978), 59 Ill. App. 3d 468, 375 N.E.2d 513.) The fact that there were 20 months between the crime and the lineup identification by Buckle and identification from the lineup photographs by Harris is not determinative. In People v. Martin (1970), 47 Ill. 2d 331, 265 N.E.2d 685, cert, denied (1971), 403 U.S. 921, 29 L. Ed. 2d 700, 91 S. Ct. 2240, the court found that despite a time lapse of approximately two years between the robbery and photographic identifications and over three years between the crime and trial, the delay did not preclude independent observations. I note also that, since Ryder’s lineup identifications were suppressed by the trial court, Buckle did not testify that he had identified Ryder at the lineup. If there were any illegality connected with that lineup identification of Ryder, it would have been dissipated by Buckle’s observation of Ryder independent of the lineup. The fact that Harris stated that the photographs of each defendant “looked like” the gten who robbed the store and did not make a positive identification until viewing the lineup photographs does not make her in-court identification less reliable. (See People v. Anton (1981), 100 Ill. App. 3d 344, 426 N.E.2d 1070.) Further, defendants make no contention that the lineups or photo identification procedures were unnecessarily suggestive, nor does the record so indicate. (See Munson v. Brathwaite (1977), 432 U.S. 98, 53 L. Ed. 2d 140, 97 S. Ct. 2243; Simmons v. United States (1968), 390 U.S. 377, 19 L. Ed. 2d 1247, 88 S. Ct. 967.) Additionally, the sixth amendment does not require that defense counsel be present when a witness views photographic arrays. (United States v. Ash (1973), 413 U.S. 300, 37 L. Ed. 2d 619, 93 S. Ct. 2568.) Therefore, both witnesses’ testimony about the pretrial identifications from the photo array for each defendant was proper. Harris’ testimony that she identified defendants from photographs of the lineups and the introduction of those photographs into evidence was proper. The majority concludes that since the uncounseled lineups violated defendants’ sixth amendment right, this testimony and evidence were a direct result of the constitutional violation and should have been excluded. As I have noted, I believe that the trial court was justified in finding that Curtis waived his right to an attorney at the lineup. Consequently, there was no primary illegality as to his lineup, and the subsequent photographic identification and testimony by Harris were not tainted, nor was the introduction into evidence of the • lineup photograph. While the trial court suppressed the lineup identification of Ryder by Buckle, Ryder had no right to an attorney at a photographic display. (United States v. Ash (1973), 413 U.S. 300, 37 L. Ed. 2d 619, 93 S. Ct. 2568.) Moreover, assuming that the admission of evidence concerning Harris’ photographic identification of either defendant was tainted, such introduction was harmless error because Harris had a clear and independent opportunity to view defendants during the occurrence and made a positive in-court identification. (United States v. Wade (1967), 388 U.S. 218, 18 L. Ed. 2d 1149, 87 S. Ct. 1926; People v. Strater (1979), 72 Ill. App. 3d 486, 390 N.E.2d 979.) Since any error in the admission of the photographs or Harris’ testimony was harmless, it is not a ground for reversal on appeal. Chapman v. California (1967), 386 U.S. 18, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705, 87 S. Ct. 824; People v. McDonald (1975), 62 Ill. 2d 448, 343 N.E.2d 489. Accordingly, I would affirm the judgments of convictions as to both defendants.