Court Opinion

ID: 9586558
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:12:51.143324+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:32:43.024211
License: Public Domain

Benton, J.,
dissenting.
I would hold that the trial judge erred in refusing to suppress the “second” statement, and I would remand this case for a new trial. Because of inadequate evidence in the record concerning the circumstances leading up to and surrounding Mundy’s third statement to the police, I would remand that issue to the trial court for a new suppression hearing.
In Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477 (1981), the Supreme Court stated:
[Although we have held that after initially being advised of his Miranda rights, the accused may himself validly waive his rights and respond to interrogation, the Court has strongly indicated that additional safeguards are necessary when the accused asks for counsel; and we now hold 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. We further hold that an accused, such as Edwards, having expressed his desire to' deal with the police only through counsel, is not subject to further interrogation by the authorities until counsel has been made available to him, unless the accused himself initiates further communication, exchanges, or conversations with the police.
Id. at 484-85 (citation and footnote omitted). A plurality of the Supreme Court explained in Oregon v. Bradshaw, 462 U.S. 1039 (1983), that reinitiation of interrogation after an accused has invoked the right to counsel requires, in addition, proof of a waiver of the right to counsel:
[W]e held that after the right to counsel had been asserted by an accused, further interrogation of the accused should *487not take place “unless the accused himself initiates further communication, exchanges, or conversations with the police.” [Edwards,] 451 U.S. at 485. This was in effect a prophylactic rule, designed to protect an accused in police custody from being badgered by police officers in the manner in which the defendant in Edwards was. We recently restated the requirement in Wyrick v. Fields, 459 U.S. 42, 46 (1982) (per curiam), to be that before a suspect in custody can be subjected to further interrogation after he requests an attorney there must be a showing that the “suspect himself initiates dialogue with the authorities.”
But even if a conversation taking place after the accused has “expressed his desire to deal with the police only through counsel,” is initiated by the accused, where reinterrogation follows, the burden remains upon the prosecution to show that- subsequent events indicated a waiver of the Fifth Amendment right to have counsel present during the interrogation.
Id. at 1044. The question posed by this case is whether the police, in blatant disregard of the bright-line rule of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), can flatly ignore two unambiguous requests for an attorney, continue to interrogate an accused for a substantial period of time, and then take advantage of the badgered accused who, having been told through the actions of the police that his request for an attorney will not be honored, seeks to fend for himself. I believe the majority’s analysis misses the mark and I dissent.
When Mundy was arrested, he was interrogated at 6:02 a.m. by Detective Robert C. East and an assistant Commonwealth’s attorney, Wade Kizer. At the beginning of the interrogation, Mundy twice requested permission to use the toilet. On the first occasion East said, “We’ll get you to the bathroom in a few minutes,” but continued the questioning. On the second occasion East stated, “Before I let you use the bathroom, I need you to do one thing, to consent to have a gun powder test on your hands done.” East then continued the questioning. Mundy was not permitted to use the toilet.
After obtaining Mundy’s name, address, social security number, and date of birth, East informed Mundy that he was charged with *488robbery and capital murder, and he read Miranda warnings to Mundy. After East explained the consequences of capital murder, Mundy denied killing anyone and answered East’s questions concerning his whereabouts that night. The following exchange then occurred:
East: Where were you all at, where were you all at, where did you meet up with at?
Mundy: I want to see my lawyer.
East: You want to wait to see your lawyer?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: Okay. You want to tell me about why you were up on the bowling alley roof? Where the police officers caught you?
Mundy: I want to wait till I see my lawyer.
East: Wait till you see your lawyer, okay. You understand all is involved here? You’ve been in trouble a lot haven’t you?
East failed to honor Mundy’s request to see a lawyer. Instead, he continued to question Mundy extensively in an interrogation that encompassed nineteen typed pages of transcript (the interrogation is attached as an appendix). The assistant Commonwealth’s attorney who was present and actively participated in much of the interrogation described what followed:
After that statement was concluded and Mr. Mundy was removed to a different part of the building on the same third floor, approximately three hours later at approximately 9:00 a.m. on April 8, 1987, Investigator G.E. Ross, who had been up there on the third floor during this entire period of time came to me, told me that Mr. Mundy had told him that he wanted to talk to me. Detective Ross told me that Mr. Mundy was laboring under the false impression that I was an investigator. He said he wanted — words to the effect that, “I want to talk to that first detective who talked to me,” described me physically. Detective Ross came and got me. I went to the area where Mr. Mundy was. I did not tell him the fact what my true position was, didn’t tell him anything about what my occupation was. I asked him merely did he say that he wanted to talk to me. He said, “Yes, I want to tell you what happened.” I said, “Fine.” We moved Mr. Mundy into a sergeant’s office on the third floor.
*489I went and got Detective East, brought him into the room.
I asked Mr. Mundy again, I said, “Is it your desire and did you approach me and say that you wanted now to make a statement.” He said, “Yes.” I said, “This is Detective East. It’s his case. If you want to make a statement I would rather you make it to Detective East.” Mr. Mundy consented. I left the room. Detective East advised the Defendant of his Miranda Warnings again. The Defendant made a waiver and the second statement occurred, that is the statement that has been reduced to writing and provided to the Defendant, or the substance of the statement has been reduced to writing.
East testified that during that session Mundy “was orally advised [of Miranda].” For unexplained reasons, neither East nor the assistant Commonwealth’s attorney recorded the second session with Mundy. East did not take notes of the interrogation “at that time.” At the conclusion of the interrogation, East left the room, went to his desk, and “wrote out what we had discussed.”
Although the trial judge suppressed the “first” statement, he should also have suppressed the “second” statement. On this evidence, the Commonwealth has failed to prove that the first interrogation of Mundy ceased. Mundy’s requests for an attorney were twice ignored. The interrogation continued at length. Following that session, Mundy simply “was removed to a different part of [the Public Safety] building on the same third floor.” There is no indication that he was in a cell or away from the further querying of the police. We only know that three hours after the “first” questioning began “Investigator . . . Ross, who had been up there on the third floor during this entire period of time,” told the assistant Commonwealth’s attorney, who had interrogated Mundy, that Mundy wanted to speak to him. On this evidence, the questioning that occurred from 6:03 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. was functionally equivalent to one interrogation.
Even if one allows that the interrogation can be separated into two discrete encounters, the Commonwealth has failed to carry its burden of showing that subsequent events indicated a waiver of the Fifth Amendment right to have counsel present during the interrogation. Where reinterrogation occurs following the initiation of conversation by an accused who previously has invoked the right to counsel, the burden is on the Commonwealth to show that *490subsequent events indicate a waiver of the right to have counsel present during the interrogation. Bradshaw, 462 U.S. at 1044. Such a waiver must be shown to be knowing and intelligent under the totality of circumstances, including the background and experience of the accused and the conduct of the police. Correll v. Commonwealth, 232 Va. 454, 464, 352 S.E.2d 352, 357, cert. denied, 482 U.S. 931 (1987). In analyzing whether Mundy subsequently waived his right to counsel, the majority fails to assess the impact of the interrogation where the police flagrantly disregarded Mundy’s requests for counsel, thereby undoubtly giving Mundy (or any reasonable person) the impression that Miranda’s conferral of the right to counsel is meaningless.
Both Edwards and Bradshaw assume cases where a request for counsel is made and is initially honored by the police. “Edwards established a bright-line rule to safeguard pre-existing rights.” Solem v. Stumes, 465 U.S. 638, 646 (1984). When the police cease interrogation following invocation of the right to counsel, they send an unmistakable signal to an accused that the rights contained in the Miranda warning are real and will be honored. A subsequent interrogation initiated by the accused takes place against the background of rights that are real and respected by the police. In this case, two officers sworn to uphold the constitution, including an officer of the court, flagrantly disregarded Mundy’s two requests for counsel despite having previously advised Mundy that he had a right to have counsel present during any interrogation.1 By their conduct, these officers conveyed the unmistakable message that the Miranda “rights” are illusory and *491that any subsequent invocation of those rights would be treated in the same fashion, i.e., ignored.
Unlike the majority, I do not believe that Oregon v. Elstad, 470 U.S. 298 (1985), provides the proper framework for resolution of the issue in this case. Elstad involved the admissibility of a confession obtained after proper Miranda warnings following an earlier voluntary but unwarned statement from the defendant. The Supreme Court concluded that the subsequent administration of Miranda warnings sufficed to cure the earlier defect — the officers’ failure to provide warnings — which had rendered the first statement inadmissible. 470 U.S. at 310-11. By contrast, the present case involves not a mere omission on the part of officers to provide Miranda warnings, but an affirmative disregard of the accused’s invocation of the right to counsel and a continuation of interrogation in contravention of his rights. That the Supreme Court would distinguish this case from Elstad is evident from the Elstad majority’s own recognition that “cases . . . concerning suspects whose invocation of their rights to remain silent and to have counsel present were flatly ignored while police subjected them to continued interrogation” are “inapposite.” 470 U.S. at 313 n.3.
Having been given his Miranda warnings prior to the interrogation, Mundy was entitled to assume that the warnings conveyed genuine rights which, if asserted, would be honored. The continued interrogation by officer East and the Commonwealth’s attorney following Mundy’s expressed desire to consult with an attorney unmistakably conveyed a message which could not be erased by another similar warning. The Supreme Court recently recognized this fact in Arizona v. Roberson, 486 U.S. 675 (1988):
To a suspect who has indicated his inability to cope with the pressures of custodial interrogation by requesting counsel, any further interrogation without counsel having been provided will surely exacerbate whatever compulsion to speak the suspect may be feeling. Thus, we also disagree with petitioner’s contention that fresh sets of Miranda warnings will “reassure” a suspect who has been denied the counsel he has clearly requested that his rights have remained untrammeled.
Id. at 2100.
*492In addition to being voluntary, a valid waiver of counsel “must also constitute a knowing and intelligent relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege.” Edwards, 451 U.S. at 482. Focusing primarily on the voluntariness of Mundy’s admissions, in an attempt to fit this case within the purview of Elstad, the majority neglects to address whether the continued interrogation of Mundy, despite his repeated requests for counsel, undermined Mundy’s ability to waive this-right knowingly and intelligently when he was subjected to reinterrogation by the same officer three hours later. The continued questioning of Mundy unequivocally had the effect of demonstrating to Mundy that he had no choice but to submit to interrogation despite his invocation of rights. When the taping of the first statement ended, Mundy had not been told that his request for counsel would be honored. He was simply moved to another part of the third floor. To permit the police and the Commonwealth’s attorney to ignore the request for counsel and to continue the interrogation to the point that the request for counsel had no meaning to Mundy or the interrogators simply invites even further contempt (such as was demonstrated in this case) for the Miranda rights and also invites ingenuity in inventing new schemes to denude constitutional rights.
Because I believe that the officers’ conduct undermined the subsequent waivers, and because I believe that, under the totality of circumstances present in this case, the Commonwealth has failed to establish a knowing and intelligent waiver, I dissent.
APPENDIX
East: What’s your name?
Mundy: Marvin Mundy?
East: Huh?
Mundy: Marvin Mundy.
East: Marvin Mundy, the infamous Marvin Mundy.
Mundy: The bathroom.
East: All right, we’ll get you to the bathroom in just a few minutes. Your middle name Marvin.
Mundy: Uh-huh.
East: No middle name, I can’t hear you Marvin? Maurice. That’s M-U-N-D-A-Y.
Mundy: Mundy?
East: M-U-N
Mundy: D-Y.
*493East: D-U-Y?
Mundy: D-Y.
East: D-U-I-E?
Mundy: D-Y-.
East: D-Y. Whats your address Marvin, I can’t hear you Marvin,
Mundy: Whitcomb St.
East: Whitcomb St. Uh-huh,
Mundy: I need to use the bathroom bad.
East: All right, Marvin before I let you use the bathroom, I need you to do one thing, to consent to have a gun powder test on your hands done, you want do that?
Mundy: What?
East: A gun powder test on your hands, have your hands tested?
Mundy: All right.
East: They put ah, little strips on your hand, that’s all, real quick you want to do that?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: Uh-huh, in just a few minutes. Okay, wait a minute. Okay, stand up by that wall. Okay, you sign right here saying that you’ll let us do the test okay?
Mundy: I gonna do what?
East: Saying that your [sic] gonna let us do the gun powder test on your hand okay? Why do you do that, so I can take you over and get it done, so you can go to the bathroom. Okay, we’ll do the test real quick, let you go to the bathroom. Don’t have any left Marvin. I’ll get you some when we go downstairs all right. I don’t smoke. We’ll see if we can get you one in a minute okay? What your address Marvin?
Mundy: 1907 Apt. #8.
East: 1907 Apartment what, apartment #8? What’s your date of birth Marvin?
Mundy: 7-26-63.
East: 7-26-63. What’s your social security number?
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: 239.
Mundy: (inaudible).
*494East: If you see anybody outside with a cigarette, I need to hold onto to that okay, sorry, what do you need out of it?
Mundy: (inaudible). Hold onto it, why?
East: Evidence.
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: Can’t get into it right now, what you need out of it?
Mundy: Naw, I was going to use it because I’m cold.
East: Okay, I’m sorry, I have to hold onto it okay.
Mundy: Coat.
East: Yeah. Okay, Marvin let me explain something to you, first before we get talking or whatever you want to do, okay, this is, has your name up top, your address, today’s date, the time right now being 6:02 a.m., says, I Marvin Maurice Mundy, have been advised, that I’m being interviewed by Investigator R. C. East. My code in the alleged commission of the crime of robbery and capítol [sic] murder. I’ve been advised that I have the right to remain silent. I’ve also been advised that if I do make any statements, it can be used against me in court. I have been further advised that, that I have the right to have an attorney present during this or any future interview. If I do not have funds to employ an attorney, the court will appoint one to represent me. Do you understand all your rights. Okay, need you to sign right there, saying that read you your Rights and you understand them, that’s all it says, okay.
Mundy: Capitol [sic] murder,
East: Okay, I’ll explain to you in a minute, what’s going on. Marvin you understand what Capitol [sic] Murder is?
Mundy: No.
East: Capitol [sic] Murder in this case, is when somebody was killed during a robbery, which occurred and as a result someone died, okay. Do you know what the sentence is' for Capitol [sic] Murder, if your convicted of it? What is it? Its either life imprisonment or death by the electric chair in Virginia.
*495Mundy: Yeah.
East: Yeah, you understand that, okay. Is there anything you want to tell me about what happened?
Mundy: I know I didn’t kill nobody.
East: You know you didn’t kill nobody. Tell me what happened, what went down?
Mundy: That’s all I’m saying, I know I didn’t kill nobody, but ah,
East: But you did rob somebody?
Mundy: No, I’m saying, I didn’t kill nobody.
East: Okay, but you did rob somebody, I told you its robbery and capítol [sic] murder, you say you didn’t kill nobody, did you rob somebody tonight?
Mundy: Didn’t have nothing to do with that?
East: Do with what?
Mundy: With none of that.
East: None of that, who were you with tonight?
Mundy: I was with a friend.
East: You were with a friend, is that one of the friend’s you were with? Whose that, huh, what’s his name?
Mundy: Michael.
East: Michael what?
Mundy: Lyons
East: Michael Lyons?
Mundy: I don’t know.
East: You don’t know his last name, okay. Who is that?
Mundy: Norris.
East: Norris and who is that, Keith, what’s Keith’s last name?
Mundy: Cox.
East: Keith Cox, okay. You were with them tonight?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: What happened?
Mundy: Nothing happened.
East: Where were you all at, where were you all at, where did you meet up with at?
Mundy: I want to see my lawyer.
East: You want to wait to see your lawyer?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: Okay. You want to tell me about why you were up on the bowling alley roof? Where the police officers caught you?
*496Mundy: I want to wait till I see my lawyer.
East: Wait till you see your lawyer, okay. You understand all is involved here? You’ve been in trouble a lot haven’t you?
Mundy: No, not nothing like this,
East: What was the last thing you were arrested for?
Mundy: For concealed weapon.
East: Concealed weapon, okay. You know who this is? Who is that?
Mundy: A friend.
East: A friend, who is it, huh?
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: Judson Calvin right? You know where he’s at now?
Mundy: I don’t know.
East: You know who did it?
Mundy: Did what?
East: Who killed him?
Mundy: No, no I don’t.
East: You don’t, doesn’t bother you that he’s dead huh, doesn’t bother you that he’s dead, you all supposed to have been friends, that’s the way it goes, huh, that’s the way it goes huh?
Mundy: I said it bothered me afterwards.
East: But it don’t bother you no more?
Mundy: That something that happens,
East: Yeah?
Mundy: (inaudible)
East: What have you been taking tonight, what kind of drugs?
Mundy: Nothing.
East: You been drinking, you don’t have no odor of alcohol on you?
Mundy: I don’t?
East: No, what have you been drinking?
Mundy: Some Brass Monkey.
East: Some Brass Monkey, where were you drinking that at?
Mundy: Over a girl’s house.
East: Over a girl’s house? Your pouch, your pouch is in the trunk, your [sic] the oldest one in the group, your [sic] the oldes [sic] one in the group. Its word *497on word, we’ve got enough evidence.
Mundy: Yeah, but I didn’t kill anybody.
Kizer: Talk to anybody else, can you tell me exactly what happened, tell me when you all got together, went over to the motel, you know, (inaudible),
Mundy: (inaudible).
Kizer: (inaudible).
East: The couch, the couch is in the trunk.
Kizer: (inaudible).
East: Your [sic] the oldes [sic] one in the group, your the oldes [sic] one in the group?
Kizer: (inaudible).
East: Word on word, we’ve got enough evidence.
Mundy: I ain’t saying nothing.
Kizer: (inaudible).
Mundy: In my car,
Kizer: Huh, which gun did you have? You had a gun, which one? Like this?
East: Is it as heavy as it looks?
Mundy: Yeah.
Kizer: How come you didn’t get it out of the car, weren’t you gonna take it from the car?
Mundy: Ut-uh [sic].
Kizer: Huh? Did you get any money out of the cash register?
Mundy: No.
Kizer: Where was the money?
Mundy: What money, come through there, I didn’t see any money.
Kizer: You told the night clerk to open the cash drawer didn’t you?
Mundy: No, it won’t me did it, (inaudible).
Kizer: Michael and Keith? You didn’t have a gun, is what your [sic] telling me? Who had the gun?
Mundy: I don’t know, my gun was in the car.
Kizer: Was it your idea?
Mundy: I don’t know. It won’t my idea, talking, but it won’t my idea.
East: Where were they talking about it at?
Mundy: In ah, let me see, (inaudible).
East: Where were you all over at Michael’s house?
Mundy: Yeah.
*498East: On Winston St.?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: Did you talk about it over there?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: Where was his mother at, she won’t there?
Mundy: No, she won’t there.
East: She wasn’t there.
Mundy: She came in though.
East: You all talked about it over there. Who was driving the car when you left her apartment?
Mundy: Michael.
East: Michael, where were you sitting at?
Mundy: In the back seat.
East: Who was back there with you?
Mundy: The other guy.
East: Which guy?
Mundy: Norris.
East: Norris. Did you all drive straight to the motel? Huh? What did you all do, did you all stop somewhere else, ride around, or what?
Kizer: We know part of what your [sic] telling us is not what they’ve all ready told us,
Kizer: So start from the beginning, when you all got on Dickens Place, what happened, who was in the car, who went inside the motel?
East: After you all parked the car, and started walking towards the motel,
Mundy: Just he told me,
East: Huh?
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: Well, I’m trying to,
Kizer: Trying to get your side.
East: Right, I’m trying to give you the opportunity to tell your side of it, thats all, isn’t that fair?
Kizer: Their side of it is, that you were the trigger puller,
East: Is that the same thing?
Kizer: Is that the same thing? Well, then why don’t you tell your side of it? What you just said is, you agree with what they said, that you pulled the trigger?
Mundy: No, I didn’t.
Kizer: Why don’t you tell us your side of it?
*499Mundy: And that was it, they went in the room there, they came out,
Kizer: When you went in, who was inside, just the clerk that time?
Mundy: Yeah.
East: What happened?
Kizer: Did you ask him for, for coffee?
Mundy: We went in there and,
Kizer: You asked him for coffee, said he didn’t have any coffee, then you went out, did you do that?
Mundy: No, I ain’t do that, I just seen him around the counter, I ain’t do nothing like that.
Kizer: Who drew on him?
Mundy: Both of them.
Kizer: Keith and Michael?
East: Where was Norris at?
Mundy: He was outside.
Kizer: Outside?
Mundy: Yeah, he was outside.
East: Outside the motel, by the car, where?
Mundy: By the car.
Kizer: At what point and time did you get the safe and take it out?
Mundy: (inaudible).
Kizer: Huh? (inaudible)
Mundy: I don’t know.
Kizer: What did you jump on top of the bowling alley for?
Mundy: Huh?
Kizer: Why did you hide on top of the bowling alley?
Mundy: (inaudible) that what I was shooting at, we heard some shots and thought someone was shotting [sic] at us.
East: Huh?
Kizer: Is that so, who did the shooting?
Mundy: I don’t know.
East: You might be wrong about a month’s salary, that I’m gonna put a gun in you [sic] hand.
Mundy: Put a gun in my hand, I didn’t shoot,
East: We’re gonna see.
Kizer: Your gun was a .44 or a .45? .45, you took it in, where did you have it at, you just admitted.
*500Mundy: .45, no.
Kizer:
Mundy: He said I’ll bet you a day’s salary.
Kizer: You said you had a gun, we’ve recovered a .45, you had to have took the gun inside.
Mundy: Take fingerprints then.
East: Okay.
Kizer: Don’t you admit that you took the gun inside?
Mundy: No.
Kizer: You didn’t?
Mundy: No.
Kizer: The others said that you did, their [sic] Keying [sic].
Mundy: Like I said, can’t you tell their lieing [sic].
Kizer: Answer my questions, they said you did, are they lieing [sic] ?
Mundy: Right, take fingerprints, and you’ll know their being.
Kizer: Tell us who had the guns then?
Mundy: I don’t know.
Kizer: How many guns did you need?
East: When you got up on the roof?
Mundy: They was shotting [sic] then.
East: Who was shotting [sic]?
Mundy: I don’t know.
East: Uh-huh, did you hear some gunshots?
Mundy: Uh-huh.
East: You did? Where were you at when you heard those?
Mundy: I was outside.
East: Outside where?
Mundy: Outside the car.
East: Uh-huh, who was out there with you?
Mundy: I was by myself, then Mike he come out there,
Kizer: We’re talking about the police officer who says you
all run out the front door, you were outside?
Mundy: I don’t know if he seen me or not, but I know he didn’t see me.
Kizer: Saw three of them come out. The police were right on top of you, why do you think they were so quick in catching you, why do you think the dog was right there, caught you, hiding on the rooftop?
*501Mundy: Why, cause they was right there.
Kizer: They saw you, the police was right behind you all’s car, you came out from nowhere, saw you all running out of the front door, all three of you.
Mundy: (inaudible).
Kizer: We recovered the safe, we recovered your own and the two other guns, they’re all hanging it on you.
East: You know, your [sic] known for being a Mr. Tough Guy, that what your know [sic] for being. Mr. Tough Guy, in the city the city guys say your [sic] Mr. Tough Guy, I understand you’ve got a little come back time, you got caught for the concealed weapon, you were begging Richard Dunn to help you out, to keep you from going back in,
East: So you mean, your [sic] gonna take a fall like this,
Mundy: I didn’t beg him from keeping me from going in,
East: What did you call, you called him?
Mundy: I talked to him, but I didn’t call him to beg him to keep me out.
East: Well, that’s what he tells me.
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: Uh-huh, so don’t bother, your [sic] gonna get your come back time.
Mundy: I did my time.
East: Yeah.
Mundy: I did my time.
East: You’ve got some come back time, you’ve got some suspended time right?
Mundy: Yeah, what we got.
East: Okay, when you got busted for concealed weapon, you haven’t been to court on that yet, have you?
Mundy: Yup.
East: You have, what happened?
Mundy: They dismissed it.
East: They did. Give you the gun back?
Mundy: Uh-huh.
East: What kind of gun was that?
Mundy: A shotgun.
East: Shotgun, sawed off shotgun, won’t it?
Mundy: (inaudible).
Kizer: What your [sic] looking at now is death in the electric chair?
*502Mundy: But I didn’t kill nobody.
Kizer: You’ve been caught red handed.
Mundy: But I didn’t kill nobody.
Kizer: Did they shoot themselves?
Mundy: No, but I know I didn’t shoot anybody.
Kizer: Who shot them?
Mundy: It won’t me, like I said, I ran out when I heard the shots.
Kizer: I just told you, a policeman was standing right outside there in the hallway, and saw all three of you run out the front door.
Mundy: That’s what he said
Kizer: That’s exactly right.
East: That’s what we’ll say in court, tell the jury too.
Kizer: Do you think they’re gonna believe you?
Mundy: How did he see me if he was outside?
Kizer: You had all. ready taken it out and went back in, that’s how it got out there.
Mundy: No, I took it out, was going back in,
Kizer: I don’t believe you, cause we know your [sic] being [sic].
Mundy: That ain’t no be.
Kizer: You also just told me you didn’t have a gun, and that’s a be.
Mundy: I didn’t have a gun.
Kizer: Your being [sic].
Mundy: Like I said, you all had the guns,
Kizer: Yeah.
Mundy: Okay, then,
Kizer: That’s what I’m telling you, we’re trying to do you a favor Marvin,
Mundy: I understand what your [sic] talking about too, if you all ready have the gun,
Kizer: We’ve go em and we’re do ah, but it’s gonna take a little while to get that stuff back, what I’m telling you is, what you ought to be thinking about, thinking about, long and hard, because it’s your life, cause it’s gonna determine your life, this is the only opportunity we will give you to tell your side of what happened, and right now, your [sic] just saying, you don’t know, you were outside, but we know you were outside, know you went in, we *503know you went in with a gun, whether you used the gun, we know you ran out with guns, so do you want to tell us who actually fired the gun, and don’t be telling us that you were outside when the shotting [sic] happened, do you want to talk anymore?
East: All of you gonna be around at 6:25 in the morning.
Kizer: It’s up to you?
Mundy: I don’t know what to say.
Kizer: (inaudible).
East: You know Timothy Clark? You did?
Wade: You know how he was murdered?
Mundy: (inaudible).
Wade: Okay, that’s what we’re talking about, no parole, life, life, get out when your 75, 75 or 90, go to the penitentiary, or death, or the electric chair, tell us your side of it?
Mundy: I’m already dead.
Wade: You told us you were outside.
Mundy: I said I was already dead.
Wade: (inaudible). Your [sic] already dead?
East: Somebody looking for you? Who? Who does?
Mundy: The police got a contract out on me.
East: The police did, who was supposed to be carrying it out?
Wade: Why do you think the police have a contract on you?
Mundy: I don’t know.
East: Do you know this person?
Mundy: Yeah, I go over the house and go with em,
East: Go with what?
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: How about him?
Mundy: He goes, (inaudible). Police department.
East: The city police, huh, interesting.
Wade: Let’s go through it one more time and you tell us what happened, okay? At what point did you get out of the car, when you all pulled up there?
Mundy: Got out of the car.
Wade: Who went inside?
Mundy: Ah, us three.
Wade: You, Keith and Michael?
*504Mundy: Uh-huh.
Wade: Norris waited outside, or did he come in and then leave?
Mundy: Came and left.
Wade: Norris came and then left, all right, after you got in, what happened?
Mundy: Huh?
Wade: After you got inside the office, tell us what happened?
Mundy: (inaudible).
Wade: Tell us how the robbery went down?
Mundy: Well, ah, just ah, just went in, ah, asked the man for some coffee.
Wade: He said they didn’t have any coffee?
Mundy: That we wanted some coffee.
Wade: What did he say to that, did he say anything?
Mundy: He said that’s it for employee’s only.
Wade: Then what happened?
Mundy: (inaudible).
Wade: Michael and Keith did it, huh?
Mundy: Yeah.
Wade: You don’t know whether you heard anyone shooting?
Mundy: No.
Wade: Then what happened? When they went back, did you know what they were gonna do, they ran back there, and you ran back to the car?
East: Who cut the phone line?
Mundy: I don’t know, I carried the safe.
East: What was Michael and Keith doing?
Mundy: They were holding the man down.
Wade: Is this the safe where the cash was or was the cash in a separate drawer?
Mundy: I didn’t see no cash.
Wade: Didn’t ya’ll ask the man to open the safe or the cash drawer?
Mundy: I wasn’t there.
Wade: Did he open anything?
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: How did you know where the safe was?
Mundy: I see it.
*505East: You saw it? You knew where it was because that’s where ah, Calvin use to
East: work at?
Mundy: Who?
East: Isn’t that where Judson used to work at?
Mundy: Calvin?
East: Judson Calvin, Ned?
Mundy: Ned?
East: Uh-huh, didn’t he used to work there?
Mundy: Did he?
East: I don’t know.
Wade: What did you get out of the safe?
Mundy: I didn’t see nothing cause,
Wade: Weren’t you all open up on the rooftop?
Mundy: Some pennies or something.
Wade: What kind of a gun did Keith have?
Mundy: I didn’t see it, I know he had a gun, but I didn’t see what kind.
East: Was it a revolver or automatic?
Mundy: I think it was an automatic. I’m trying to think, I ain’t sure, if I could see it, (inaudible).
Wade: Who had the .22, did you?
Mundy: Keith had it.
Wade: Keith did? Who had the silver coated gun?
Mundy: Keith.
Wade: Huh?
Mundy: Norris had a .22.
Wade: Who had the silver gun?
Mundy: Huh?
Wade: Who had the silver colored gun?
Mundy: (inaudible) cause I know, I left them,
East: What did you do with the safe?
Mundy: I set it down.
East: Set it down where?
Mundy: Outside, set it out.
East: On the sidewalk, beside the building?
Mundy: Yeah.
Wade: Take anything out of it?
Mundy: No.
East: Did you take the envelopes out of it then?
Mundy: Out of where, out of the safe?
East: Yeah?
*506Mundy: No, couldn’t get into it.
East: Couldn’t get into it?
Wade: Who threw the keys in the back?
East: The keys to the hotel?
Mundy: I didn’t see no keys.
East: They were up on the roof.
Mundy: Oh, yeah, I did.
East: Did you use them for anything, just took them? Was the door locked or unlocked, when you all went in, did he have to let you all in, or did you all walk in the door?
Mundy: We went in.
East: The door was unlocked? When did you see the other man come in? Where were you at when he came in?
Mundy: Who?
East: The other man, the other white man?
Mundy: Over here, by the, on this side right there.
East: On what side, the side nearest Broad St., or the side nearest where the car was parked?
Mundy: Toward Broad St.
East: Did you see him get out of the car or anything?
Mundy: Yeah, I seen a car pull up, but, you know, I don’t never see,
East: Know what kind of car it was, what color it was?
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: Where did he park it at?
Mundy: He parked it out front.
East: Near where you were at or on the other side, or where?
Mundy: Other side.
East: Other side, did you see him get out? Well, how did you know it was a white man?
Mundy: I could see he was white.
East: Well, I asked you when the other white man came in?
Mundy: You asked me when another man came in.
East: Yeah.
Mundy: You didn’t say white.
East: Yeah, I did say white.
Mundy: I know I seen the car, (inaudible).
Wade: Is it true that you shot both of them?
*507Mundy: Me, no, I didn’t shoot nobody.
Wade: Where was your gun?
Mundy: I didn’t even have my gun.
East: We’ve got a witness that says he put the gun in your hand, as you were running?
Mundy: Not in my hand. Not in my hand.
East: Unless you were wearing gloves?
Mundy: I didn’t have gloves on, when you locked me up.
East: Well, you had plenty of time to get rid of them, see, must have, cause that why your [sic] playing a little fingerprints game with us, you know, you can find and check the fingerprints, all this stuff, that’s why your [sic] playing a little game.
Mundy: Ask him why he didn’t find the gloves then, didn’t find any gloves?
East: We’re still looking, okay.
Wade: A witness say you come out.
Mundy: Well, you get him in her and tell me.
Wade: You want him to tell you?
Mundy: Yeah, cause I don’t believe you? I want to see for myself.
Wade: He didn’t say he saw you shooting Marvin, he saw you run out the doors, with the other two.
Mundy: I didn’t say I did, I’m telling you, when I seen the car pull up, that when I started running.
Wade: Yeah and that’s was the same time that, all three of you came out the same time, and two had been shot by then.
Mundy: I won’t there, I won’t in no motel.
East: All three of you all were inside the motel. He watched you come out the front door.
Mundy: All three of us weren’t in the hotel at the same time, when he said he seen somebody,
Wade: Okay, you tell us you didn’t do the shooting, you heard the shots though?
Mundy: Yeah.
Wade: And where were you when you heard the shots?
Mundy: Right there, I was coming out,
Wade: Coming out the front door?
Mundy: Yeah.
Wade: Okay, who was inside?
Mundy: Wasn’t anybody, but Keith and Mike in there?
*508East: One of them had a .22, another one had a what, a .38, .357, shotgun, rifle, what?
Mundy: I don’t know what they had, I don’t exactly know what they had.
Wade: You said one of them had the .22 and the other one had another gun, okay so neither one of them had your gun?
Mundy: My gun was in the trunk.
Wade: Yes, that’s right, so if you didn’t have the .22, the other one had another gun, not your gun, your gun was in the trunk,
Mundy: See, I didn’t know,
Wade: You fired?
Mundy: How I gonna fire a gun, can you answer this question, how can I fire a gun, this and all that?
Wade: Cause, you left and went out, took the safe out, and went back,
East: You took your gun out of the car and you took it out of the pouch you carried it around in, and you threw the pouch in the trunk.
Mundy: (inaudible).
East: Did not stop you from getting arrested before, you said, you’ve been arrested before, you said, you know about concealed weapons, you must not have known too much about it, if you got arrested or it.
Mundy: No, only this is, cause like I told you, (inaudible).
East: Uh-huh.

 The conduct of the assistant Commonwealth’s attorney in this matter is inexplicable. It appears that he participated in a deliberate, purposeful violation of Mundy’s rights. He described to the trial judge his involvement in the interrogation:
I might add that during the initial questioning I had been present in the room. I had been called from home at approximately 2:00 that morning by Detective East and asked to respond to the Public Safety Building. He apprised me generally of what crimes had been committed, the fact that there had been two murders and a robbery at the Residence Inn and four people had been arrested. I was present during most, if not all, of the first statement that was taken by Investigator East. . . .
Although there may be possible explanations for the conduct of the assistant Commonwealth attorney, he offered none to the trial judge. I find on this record no acceptable explanations. Either he does not understand the fundamental teachings of Miranda, or he chose simply to disregard Miranda’s teaching and his obligation to uphold the law of the land. In either case, his conduct is unacceptable and should be unequivocally condemned by this Court. His conduct raises serious questions concerning his view and understanding of his ethical responsibilities.