Court Opinion

ID: 9575750
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:16:40.541576+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:49:57.578545
License: Public Domain

Souris, J.
(concurring). I concur in reversal and remand for new trial for the reasons stated by Mr. Justice Kelly. I also agree with him that this record does not justify a finding by us that errors were committed in denying defendant’s motions to suppress evidence seized by the police during a search of defendant’s home the morning following his arrest.
The prosecutor claimed defendant consented to the police entry of his home and its search. Mr. JusticeKavanagh concludes that such consent was not free from duress and coercion because of Detective-Sergeant Harris’ statement “that defendant’s home was going to be searched even if defendant did not give-the keys to the police.” I find no such statement in the record, nor do I find any other evidence to justify the conclusion that defendant’s consent was coerced. It is true that the brief filed below by the prosecutor-in opposition to defendant’s motion to suppress contained reference to a conversation between 2 police-officers and defendant’s counsel in which:
“The officers told counsel they did not find any keys in defendant’s property, and were anxious to enter the home without creating damage and leaving the-premises exposed to any prowler, but were going to continue the investigation of the crime whether or not they had keys” (emphasis added); *309but that statement alone is far from evidence of a threat to defendant that’ even if he did not give the police the keys to his home, so that they could enter to search it, they would search it anyway.
The tape recording seized from defendant’s home should have been excluded from evidence because of the inflammatory and prejudicial nature of its contents, as detailed by Mr. Justice Kelly, but I do not believe this record would justify its suppression in advance of trial on the ground that defendant’s consent to the search of his home, during which it was seized, was coerced.