Court Opinion

ID: 9793489
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:48:32.456586+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:05:33.077398
License: Public Domain

JOHNSON, Judge:
specially concurs.
¶ 1 I specially concur with the Court’s decision herein relative to the involuntariness of a confession made by the Appellant. This Court has heretofore held that a Miranda waiver is not voluntary where the Appellant is not told that counsel is present. Lewis v. State, 1984 OK CR 93, 695 P.2d 528. This decision rested upon Oklahoma constitutional grounds. Thereafter, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision in Moran v. Burbine, 475 U.S. 412, 106 S.Ct. 1135, 89 L.Ed.2d 410 (1986). This Court later addressed this situation in Tilley v. State, 1998 OK CR 43, 963 P.2d 607. The undersigned authored that opinion.
¶ 2 One must read the fact situation of Tilley to understand the difference between the case in question and the 1998 opinion. From my examination of the facts in Tilley, the contact was made by a telephone inquiry and the attorney did not go to the sheriffs office or the police station. The attorney also did not make any specific statements that his client or purported client should not talk in any way to the sheriff or detectives. In Tilley, this was more of a casual call and not a confrontation as we have in this case.
¶3 The facts in this case are very similar to Miranda. In that particular case, the attorney was outside in the hallway and waiting to see his client. This is somewhat similar to what we have in this particular case. There is confusion as to when certain statements were made and, therefore, I would agree to the affirmance herein and would also agree to the principle established by the Court.