Court Opinion

ID: 9765845
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:21:42.696418+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:16.154853
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, dissenting. I disagree with the majority opinion because I think the statement of May 14, 1982, should have been excluded. It is basic that in order for a confession to be admissible it must be given freely and voluntarily and must not have been induced by threats or violence nor by direct or implied promises. Hutto v. Ross, 429 U.S. 28 (1976); Bram v. United States, 168 U.S. 532 (1897); Freeman v. State, 258 Ark. 617, 527 S.W.2d 909 (1975). Also, the burden of proving that a custodial statement was voluntary rests upon the state. Freeman v. State, supra; Scott v. State, 251 Ark., 918, 475 S.W.2d 699 (1972). The appellant notified the police that he would like to make a statement in the presence of the prosecuting attorney and his own attorney. Not having heard from the officers, the appellant made another call to the same effect the next day. This call resulted in the statement of May 14, 1982. According to the officer and the deputy prosecutor, the appellant’s attorney was not available. In return for the statement the charge against the appellant was reduced from capital murder to murder in the first degree. It was admitted by the officer and the deputy prosecutor that the charge was reduced in exchange for the incriminating statement. The majority cites Davis v. State, 275 Ark. 264, 630 S.W.2d 1 (1982) as precedent in the opinion. The Davis opinion stated: “A statement induced by fear or hope of reward is not voluntary.” Also included in the Davis opinion was a quotation from Tatum v. State, 266 Ark. 506, 585 S.W.2d 957 (1979), stating that prisoner vulnerability coupled with the statement, ‘‘I’ll help you any way I can,” mandated the suppression of a confession. We reversed the conviction on the ground that the statement was given with a promise of reward. When a deputy prosecutor told a prisoner he would help him all that he could, we held the confession to be involuntary. Shelton v. State, 251 Ark. 890, 475 S.W.2d 538 (1972). The fact that a statement was given as a result of a promise of reward, which promise was kept, does not make it any more voluntary than if a promise of reward had not been kept. In either case, at the time the statement is given the accused is hoping for and expecting a reward. The fact that the reward was given leaves no doubt but that the appellant gave the statement with the expectation that the charge against him would be reduced, and it was. After all, the appellant had a constitutional right to remain silent but he traded it for a clear promise of reward. Perhaps without the confession he would not have been found guilty. The United States Supreme Court stated in Bram v. United States, supra: A confession, in order to be admissible, must be free and voluntary; that is, must not be extracted by any sort of threats or violence, nor obtained by any direct or implied promises, however slight, nor by the exertion of any improper influence ... A confession can never be received in evidence where the prisoner has been influenced by any threat or promise; for the law cannot measure the force of the influence used, or decide upon its effect upon the mind of the prisoner, and therefore excludes the declaration if any degree of influence has been exerted. 168 U.S. at 542-543. (emphasis added.) This is not a new standard. It has existed since the adoption of the Constitution of the United States. It has been followed in such cases as Hutto v. Ross, supra; Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970); and Payne v. Arkansas, 356 U.S. 560 (1958). I feel constrained to repeat that the confession of May 14th was given in the absence of appellant’s known attorney and in exchange for a promise (before the confession was given) to reduce the charge from capital murder to first degree murder. The difference in the possible penalty is the difference between death and life in prison. Read the following question and answer by defense counsel and the officer taking the statement, and then decide whether it was given as a result of hope of a lighter charge. Question: Any threats or promises or coercion used to get him to make the statement? Answer: This is the — when he was — Mr. Haynes told him that he would not charge him with capital felony, that he would charge him with first degree only. One other little thing not noticed by the majority is the undisputed statement in the record that before the statement of May 8th was taken, while he was in custody, appellant requested the presence of his attorney but was refused. Obviously the majority opinion attempts to adopt the view that the totality of the circumstances clearly reveal the appellant was guilty even if the confession was improperly introduced. This argument has been decided adversely in the case of Payne v. Arkansas, supra. This case was first decided by our own court, Payne v. State, 226 Ark. 910, 295 S.W.2d 312 (1956), and the confession was allowed. The United States Supreme Court corrected this court then and I suppose it will do it again. I note with interest the majority opinion avoids citing any United States Supreme Court opinions. Have we seceded again? Even so, we have no right to ignore our own constitution which theoretically guarantees our people the right not to be witnesses against themselves, among other things. This very court has on numerous occasions held that a statement or confession given in fear of punishment or hope of reward is not voluntary and should be excluded. Davis v. State, supra; Teas v. State, 266 Ark. 572, 587 S.W.2d 28 (1979); Tatum v. State, supra; Freeman v. State, supra; Northern v. State, 257 Ark. 549, 518 S.W.2d 482 (1975); Smith v. State, 254 Ark. 538, 494 S.W.2d 489 (1973); Shelton v. State, supra; Mitchell v. Bishop, 248 Ark. 427, 452 S.W.2d 340 (1970); Dewein v. State, 114 Ark. 472, 170 S.W. 582 (1914); and Greenwood v. State, 107 Ark. 568, 156 S.W. 427 (1913). The foregoing are only a few of our own decisions which are at least partly overruled by the majority opinion. I would grant the petition for rehearing.