Bracewell v. State

401 So. 2d 124
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedOctober 20, 1980
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 401 So. 2d 124 (Bracewell v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bracewell v. State, 401 So. 2d 124 (Ala. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

401 So.2d 124 (1980)

Debra BRACEWELL, alias
v.
STATE.

4 Div. 663.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

January 22, 1980.
Rehearing Denied February 26, 1980.
Certiorari Granted October 20, 1980.

Certiorari Granted October 20, 1980. See 101 S.Ct. 312.

*125 BOOKOUT, Judge.

This cause was remanded with instructions by the Supreme Court of Alabama to the Court of Criminal Appeals "to further review the entire record of the proceedings below, including the propriety of the sentence of death." Bracewell v. State, 401 So.2d 123 (1979).

Pursuant to these instructions, this Court has carefully reviewed the entire record, including all of the circumstances presented at trial with reference to both the "Miranda" predicate and the "voluntariness" predicate, and we find that a proper predicate was laid at trial in each instance.

I

We are of the opinion that there was a sufficient voluntariness predicate laid and that the trial judge did not improperly limit the appellant's opportunity to inquire into the circumstances surrounding her written confession. We likewise conclude that the circumstances of the appellant's interrogation were not as severe and overpowering as those in Gallegos v. Colorado, 370 U.S. 49, 82 S.Ct. 1209, 8 L.Ed.2d 325 (1962), referred to in the dissent of Judge Tyson.

We find that the Miranda predicate was proper. We conclude that both elements lacking in Square, Marcus, Trott and United States ex rel. Williams, referred to in the dissent, are sufficiently covered in the instant Miranda warning.

II

The conviction should be affirmed, but the cause should be remanded with directions for the trial judge to conduct another sentencing hearing and only consider aggravating circumstances set out in § 13-11-6, Code of Alabama 1975.

More specifically, the trial court considered the appellant's participation in grand larceny and other crimes not involving "the use or threat of violence to the person" as outweighing the mitigating circumstances it had earlier found. Pursuant to § 13-11-6(2), the court could only consider whether the appellant "was previously convicted of another capital felony or a felony involving the use or threat of violence to the person." It should be noted that the trial court was not listing other offenses for the purpose of negating the mitigating circumstance enumerated in § 13-11-7(1), that the appellant had no significant history of prior criminal activity. To the contrary, the trial court's finding in this regard was to specifically outweigh two other mitigating circumstances as an aggravating circumstance and was thus improper under the statute.

Pursuant to the mandate of the Alabama Supreme Court in remanding this cause to this court, we would likewise direct the trial court to carefully reconsider the imposition of the death sentence where two mitigating circumstances weigh heavily in the appellant's favor, i. e., her young age and the dominance of her husband, her senior by several years.

*126 AFFIRMED, REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.

HARRIS, P. J., and BOWEN, J., concur in the above.

DeCARLO, J., concurs in Part I and concurs specially in Part II.

TYSON, J., concurs in Part II and dissents as to Part I.

TYSON, Judge, dissenting in part and concurring in part.

I

Sheriff W. E. Harrell testified that, at 1:10 p. m. on January 23, 1978, after questioning Debra Bracewell on at least four or five prior occasions over a three month interval, he gave the following Miranda type warning just prior to an interrogation in his office at the Covington County Courthouse. Also present was Mr. Marlon Brewer, Criminal Investigator for the State Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Investigation, and during part of the interrogation one or more of the deputies were in and out of the office at the time. Mrs. Linda Cassady came in and took down the statement, which was reduced to writing, read back to the appellant, and then executed by her (Vol. II, R. p. 324), and is as follows:

"A. `Number One. You have the right to remain silent. Number Two. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Number Three. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. Number Four. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning, if you wish. Number Five. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements.' After we did that, we told her or asked her rather, did she understand each of these rights that we had explained to her and she replied that she did. We asked her then, at that time, having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now. She replied that she did. Then we read another paragraph on this same page known as the waiver of rights. It says, `I have read or had read to me a statement of my rights and I understand what my rights are. I am willing to make a statement and answer questions. I do not want a lawyer at this time. I understand and know what I am doing. No promise or threat has been made to me and no pressure of any kind has been used against me to get me to make a statement.'" (Emphasis supplied.)

Investigator Brewer stated that he, too, read the Miranda type warning to Debra Bracewell on the afternoon of January 23, 1978, which Miranda warning is as follows (Volume II, R. p. 304):

"A. I advised her from this form. `You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning, if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements.' And, I asked her if she understood those. And she stated she did. I asked her, having those in mind and understanding them, was she willing to talk with us and she said she was.
"Q. All right. At that time, did you ask her to sign it?
"A. Yes, I did.
"Q. And did she sign it in your presence?
"A. Yes, she did.
"Q. Did you witness it in her presence?
"A. I certainly did.
"Q. And did Linda Cassady witness it then?
"A. Yes, she did. In her presence."
(Emphasis supplied.)

I do not consider either of these warnings to be models to emulate because of the "futuristic" aspect of the warnings above set forth and underscored. See Square v. *127 State, 283 Ala. 548, 219 So.2d 377 (1969); Marcus v. State, 50 Ala.App. 526, 280 So.2d 786, cert. denied, 291 Ala. 350, 280 So.2d 793 (1973); Trott v. State, 51 Ala.App. 40, 282 So.2d 392, cert. quashed, 291 Ala. 800, 282 So.2d 402 (1973); United States ex rel. Williams v. Twomey, 7 Cir., 467 F.2d 1248 (1972).

However, I do consider the type of Miranda

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Related

Jackson v. State
553 So. 2d 647 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1989)
Ex Parte Bracewell
447 So. 2d 827 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1984)
Bracewell v. State
447 So. 2d 815 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1983)
Coulter v. State
438 So. 2d 336 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1982)
Colley v. State
405 So. 2d 374 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1980)

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