Court Opinion

ID: 9658631
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 21:06:59.787137+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:57.176354
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Justice
(specially concurring).
Issues 2 and 3 are not theoretically troublesome to me. However, the ramifications pertaining to Issue 1 concerns me to such an extent that I feel compelled to write.
Was the accused’s will overborne? State v. Hartley, 326 N.W.2d 226, 230 (S.D.1982). This — we must examine.
I do not wish to place my imprimatur on all of the questions and statements asked by Detective Thompson. I honestly believe, from reading his questions, that he was not simply interested in obtaining psychological help for Dickey. He was also very interested in getting to the truth (which is his job as a detective) by artful and psychological questioning. This case does not trouble me, in its ultimate result, because the evidence is absolutely overwhelming that Dickey committed savage acts upon this innocent young lady who attended Augustana College in Eastern South Dakota. My basic mental overview is to ask if, under the totality of the circumstances, his damaging admissions were voluntary? Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973).
In a nutshell, the detective made some promises which are rather far reaching. He made promises of psychological help, no prosecution, and indicated that Dickey’s potential chances to be a law enforcement officer would be decreased if he did not cooperate. At one time, the officer said “... we’re not looking to ... get you in big trouble. This is not a big deal_” However, a prosecution for first degree burglary and first degree rape is a big deal. It was a big enough deal to have a sentence imposed upon Dickey for a twenty-five (25) year imprisonment on the first degree rape conviction and a ten (10) year prison term on the first degree burglary conviction. When one reads over these facts, one is totally appalled at the heinous crime perpetrated by Dickey upon this young lady. The gravamen of the crime of rape is the outrage to the individual. This young lady was shamed, embarrassed and humiliated in an outrageous manner. It is difficult for me, to say the least, to approve of the law enforcement conduct; it pales when it is compared to the type of acts that Dickey perpetrated upon this young college lady which is beyond civilized comprehension. Dickey’s conduct was base, depraved and vile.
I vote hereby to affirm this conviction but with a singular warning to the Sioux Falls Detective Bureau that there is a limit to which it can proceed, in order to obtain incriminating statements. I truly hope that this affirmance does not spawn further similar practices. We are straining the outer limits of liberality in tacitly ap*451proving Detective Thompson’s questioning technique.
The saving fact to escape a reversal for the State of South Dakota lie in this: Dickey truly expressed, under oath, that he had voluntarily made his damaging admissions to Detective Thompson.
I would add a dash of facts in order to accomplish full review of the evidence in deciding if Dickey was coerced or his will overborne. United States v. Wilson, 787 F.2d 375, 880, 381 (8th Cir.1986). Dickey voluntarily came to the police station on September 14,1988. He voluntarily agreed to return to the police station at a later time, namely September 16, 1988. Oddly, when the police interview ended, the defendant wanted it to continue. Dickey went so far as to tell Detective Thompson to sit down so the interview would and could continue.
Summarizing, I do not approve of the far reaching approach of Detective Thompson; however, it is extremely difficult to opine that Dickey was coerced or his will overborne when he says that his statements were voluntary and it appears that he wanted the interview to go on. Detective Thompson was going to terminate the interview because it was going nowhere. Dickey, at that point, blocked the doorway. As I have mentioned above, he then told the detective to sit down. Thus, I cannot express that the trial court erred. We must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial court’s finding. And we must consider the entire record in looking at the circumstances to determine if the defendant was coerced or his will overcome. United States v. Wilson, 787 F.2d 375, 380-81 (8th Cir.1986). The trial judge had the live case before him; I have only the cold record.