Commonwealth v. Green

27 Mass. L. Rptr. 293
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJune 25, 2010
DocketNo. 0803
StatusPublished

This text of 27 Mass. L. Rptr. 293 (Commonwealth v. Green) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Green, 27 Mass. L. Rptr. 293 (Mass. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

Nickerson, Gary A., J.

The defendant, Julian M. Green, is facing an indictment for second degree murder and related charges arising from the shooting death of Jacques Sellers on July 18, 2007, in the General Patton Drive neighborhood of Barnstable. By his motion to suppress Green seeks to bar the admission at trial of his statements to the police on October 31, 2007 and his testimony before the grand jury on November 9, 2007. A hearing was conducted on the motion on February 4th, 5th and April 26th, 2010. Based on all the credible evidence, the court enters the following findings of fact.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Jacques Sellers was fatally wounded on the evening of July 18, 2007 while he was visiting a home in the General Patton Drive neighborhood of Hyannis, a village in the Town of Barnstable. The police investigation revealed that two guns were used in the crime. The state police and local detectives focused on Julian Green and Anthony Russ as the likely shooters.

Before he entered the Barnstable Police interrogation room on the morning of October 31st, Julian Green was no stranger to police techniques. From December of 2002 through February of 2006, Green was the subject of five separate juvenile court matters encompassing ten distinct charges. His adult record was no less active and included drug crimes and assault and battery on a police officer. In August 2007, Green was arrested for a serious stabbing incident outside the Cape Cod Mall. Later in August, Green was arrested for an attempted robbery of a convenience store. He was being held at the Barnstable County Jail pending resolution of these cases as of October 31st.

Barnstable Detective Edmund Scipione interviewed Green in August 2007 as part of the investigation into the stabbing. On that occasion, Scipione administered the Miranda rights to Green as well as an advisory as to the recording of the interview. Scipione reviewed each aspect of Miranda with Green. Green initialed the rights advisory sheet line by line and signed the form twice, once to acknowledge his receipt of his rights and once to waive his rights (Ex. 5). Green proceeded to discuss the stabbing with Scipione. Apart from his record of arrests and convictions and his interview with Scipione, Green was intimately familiar with police methods because he had served as a police informant in certain matters. Hence, he was well known to several of the officers working on the 31st.

Barnstable detectives arranged for Green to be transported by deputy sheriffs from the county jail to the local station house the morning of the 31st. This was done to ensure his safety inasmuch as Russ was also lodged at the Barnstable County Jail awaiting trial on separate charges. Apparently Green was not given advanced warning as to the interview. No one [294]*294reached out to Green’s lawyer, assigned to represent him on the stabbing charge, to advise counsel of the interview. The stabbing charge was mentioned only in passing on the 31st.

Upon entering the Barnstable Police facility, Green was taken to the detectives’ section on the second floor, to a well-lit, functional interview room. Green wore an orange prison jumpsuit. He remained handcuffed throughout the day. Over the course of the four-plus hour interview, from 10:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m., Green interacted with State Police Troopers Robert Smith and Daniel Tucker, and Barnstable detectives Brian Guiney and John Murphy; all wore plain clothes with no visible firearms save for Smith, who had a gun holster on his belt. Both Green and the officers were seated throughout the interview.

At the start of the interview, Smith, Guiney and Tucker were in the room with Green. Smith read the Miranda rights to Green using a State Police rights form.1 Green stated he understood his rights and signed the line acknowledging receipt of his rights. Trooper Smith did not have Green sign the next paragraph on the form, the waiver paragraph. The substance of the waiver paragraph was not discussed with Green. Green did understand his rights and was, at that juncture, willing to proceed with the interview.

At the outset, the interview was recorded by both audio and visual means. Green was told he was being recorded. An audio feed permitted supervising officers to listen to the interview from a second office on the same floor of the station house. The CD of the interview is of excellent quality. The few portions in which Green’s responses are inaudible are the result of Green mumbling with his head hanging down facing the floor. Green’s school records in evidence indicate he had learning issues and that he failed to complete high school. Nonetheless, there are no limitations as to his communication skills apparent from the recorded interview. Green was sober and alert on the 31st.

After agreeing to speak with the officers, Green participated in the interview in halting fashion. The initial questioning revolved around Green’s whereabouts on July 18th. Green provided an alibi, saying he was with his girlfriend Jessica Schwenk. The conversation moved on to whether Green knew various individuals. The police intimated those individuals were fingering Green. The talk then shifted to guns, specifically whether Green knew what a 57 (short for a 357 firearm) was, whereupon Green stated:

Oh, people are crazy. I think I need a lawyer. You know what I’m saying? This is ridiculous. I don’t know where you are trying to go with this conversation. Like, you’re trying to make it seem like—

Smith cut Green off in mid-sentence and changed the topic by asking Green whether he was close to Anthony Russ. Guiney chimed in suggesting Green’s girlfriend Schwenk was at risk as Green’s alibi. At about 10:37 a.m., Guiney pointedly asked Green if he thought the police were making things up, whereupon Green replied, “Hell yeah.”

The conversation progressed for some 20 minutes as Smith, Guiney and Tucker tried to persuade Green to tell the truth. Murphy entered the room to tell Smith he had a phone call waiting. Immediately before Smith and Guiney exited the room at about 10:55 a.m., Green asked to use a telephone. Murphy said, “O.K.,” but Green was not granted access to a telephone for another 30 minutes. We do not know whom he wished to call at that moment. At about 11:00 a.m., Green yet again told Tucker he “had nothing to do with this all.” Tucker said, “Julian, it’s really tough to believe that right now when you don’t answer the questions.” To that, Green said, “I’m not answering any questions because I don’t have to. I got the right to remain silent.” Tucker responded, “No, you absolutely do, Julian.” Thereafter the interview continued.

At about 11:30 a.m., Green asked to telephone his mother in North Carolina. Apparently he was allowed to do so. Upon resuming the interview, Murphy launched into a long plea to Green to reveal the location of the gun, ending with telling Green, “Take the first step; it’s the hardest. It’s the hardest, I know. Take it.” Green responded with, “I don’t want this conversation. I don’t want to talk about this no more.”2 Murphy used that comment as an opportunity to empathize with Green as to how he, Murphy, wouldn’t want to talk about it either. Moments later, Murphy asked Green if he felt safe at the jail. Green responded, “I feel safe at Barnstable. People, I don’t care, I want to go back to Barnstable, (inaudible). I don’t want to talk about it.”3

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Bluebook (online)
27 Mass. L. Rptr. 293, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-green-masssuperct-2010.