Court Opinion

ID: 9648499
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:24:22.184996+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:02.129153
License: Public Domain

Webb Hubbell, Chief Justice, dissenting. I respectfully disagree with my colleagues’ reversal of this case. I disagree with the majority’s statement that the weight of the testimony showed that when Metcalf was arrested on the night of March 23 he asked for a lawyer, but none was provided. On March 23, 1983, appellant was arrested at 8:00 p.m. At 9:01 p.m. James Metcalf signed a standard statement of rights form which included his acknowledgment that he understood he had a right to remain silent, that he had a right to consult an attorney, and that he had the right to stop any questioning at any time. In fact, appellant said he did not want to talk that night, and no further questioning was even attempted. Appellant testified that he asked Jim Pickens, an honorary deputy sheriff, for an attorney the night of his arrest. Jim Pickens testified that appellant asked if he would be able to get an attorney, and Pickens said, “Yes, I’m sure you will.” Neither appellant nor Pickens pinpointed the time this conversation took place. Appellant also failed to establish what authority this “honorary deputy sheriff” has to bind the state. Appellant also testified that he asked two other officers for an attorney. The officers both testified that no such request was made. At 9:15 the next morning, the appellant was brought in for questioning. All three officers present testified that appellant did not request either a phone call or an attorney. Appellant was again reminded of his rights, and appellant started talking “a mile a minute” even though an officer tried to stop him until the tape recorder could be started. A careful review of the transcript does not reveal even a hint of reluctance on the part of appellant to give a statement. The trial court was not clearly erroneous in admitting into evidence appellant’s statement. The facts in this case warrant a finding of waiver. Appellant was found guilty of the savage murder of three people. The evidence of appellant’s guilt was substantial. There is, however, absolutely no evidence that appellant’s statement was not freely and voluntarily given. While in custody, and after twice being advised of his rights to remain silent and to have counsel, appellant gave a voluntary statement. Appellant had not been languishing in jail for days. There is no assertion, and no evidence, that appellant had been starved, beaten, threatened, coerced, enticed, or mistreated in any way. Appellant was arrested at 8:00 p.m., was given notice of his constitutional rights, and was allowed to remain silent. The next morning, after again being reminded of his rights, he freely gave a statement. There is no evidence that he acted without full awareness of his constitutional rights. Indeed, upon questioning by the police, appellant repeatedly responded that he understood his rights. I believe appellant waived his right to counsel. A waiver is an intentional relinquishment of a known right or privilege. Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458, 464 (1938). I believe these facts warrant something more than just an automatic imposition of the exclusionary rule. I recognize that the majority is operating from what it believes to be a long line of precedent and mandate from the United States Supreme Court, but I believe that precedent is eroding. See Nix v. Williams, 104 S. Ct. 2501 (1984). It is time we balanced the scales of justice in reviewing cases where there are important competing interests. In balancing we must be careful that we do not open the floodgates to the. introduction of illegally seized evidence. Such a result would be inherently inimical to the rationales traditionally invoked to justify the exclusionary rule —■ deterrence of police misconduct and preservation of judicial intergrity. We must carefully balance the wisdom of striving to enhance deterrence of official misconduct against the high social costs of excluding probative evidence. The exclusionary rule is in no sense a personal constitutional right, but a judicially conceived remedial device designed to safeguard and effectuate guaranteed legal rights. Stone v. Powell, 428 U.S. 465 (1976). Involuntary and coerced admissions are suppressed because of the inherent unreliability of a confession wrung from an unwilling suspect by threats, brutality, or other coercion. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218 (1973). We all agree on society’s abhorrence to the use of involuntary confessions. Linkletter v. Walker, 381 U.S. 618, 638 (1965). But use of appellant’s disclosure carries no risk whatsoever of unreliability. No dangers are posed to individual dignity or free will since there is not an issue of coercion or threats. The consequence of the majority’s decision is extremely serious. Why? Apparently the answer is that the majority believes that the law enforcement officers acted in a way which involves some risk to society and that such conduct should be deterred. The officers’ conduct did not and was not likely to jeopardize the fairness of appellant’s trial or in any way risk the conviction of an innocent man — the risk against which the Sixth Amendment guarantee of assistance of counsel is designed to protect. Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45 (1932); Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458 (1938). I would not automatically impose the exclusionary rule but would adopt a balancing test. Where, as here, there is no egregious conduct on the part of the law enforcement officers, no evidence that the statement was anything less than voluntary, and the other evidence against the appellant is so substantial that there is no risk of a conviction of an innocent man, I would hold that the introduction of the statement is not reversible error. I respectfully dissent. Hays, J., joins in this dissent.