Dunaway v. State

440 N.E.2d 682, 1982 Ind. LEXIS 992
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 22, 1982
Docket1281S381
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 440 N.E.2d 682 (Dunaway v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dunaway v. State, 440 N.E.2d 682, 1982 Ind. LEXIS 992 (Ind. 1982).

Opinion

HUNTER, Justice.

The defendant, William LeRoy Dunaway, was convicted by a jury of murder, Ind. Code § 35-42-1-1 (Burns 1979 Repl.) and was sentenced to the Indiana Department of Correction for a term of sixty years. He raises the following six issues in this direct appeal:

1. Whether the trial court erred in overruling defendant’s motions to suppress and subsequently admitting his written confession;

2. Whether the trial court erred in allowing testimony of a statement made by the decedent over defendant’s objection;

3. Whether the trial court erred in admitting certain photographs of the decedent;

4. Whether the trial court erred in admitting testimony about a substance which appeared to be blood but was not specifically identified;

5. Whether the trial court erred in not allowing defendant to present testimony of other rapes which occurred in the vicinity of the instant crime and for which another individual had been arrested; and

6. Whether the verdict was supported by sufficient evidence on all the elements of the crime as charged.

A summary of the facts from the record most favorable to the state shows that the victim, Debra Stough, went with two friends, Brenda and Shirley James, to see a fireworks show in Richmond, Indiana, on July 4, 1980. The three girls returned to Debra’s home and defendant stopped by to see them about 11:00 p. m. that evening. They sat on the porch drinking beer and then defendant and Shirley James left to get more beer. Shirley testified that they drove out to a reservoir where defendant made advances toward her. She refused defendant and they returned to Debra’s house. Debra’s mother, Beatrice Allen, who was also at the house at this time, testified that Debra told her she did not want to be left alone with defendant.

Eventually, Debra’s mother and the James sisters left and Debra went inside her house to fix a bottle for her baby. Defendant followed her into the kitchen and they engaged in sex. Debra then began to argue with defendant and attempted to hit him. Defendant struck her with his hand and then pulled out his knife, stabbed her and slashed her throat in two places. His clothes and shoes were bloodstained, so he went to his mother’s house where he changed into some clean clothes. He took the bloodstained clothes and shoes with him and drove to his uncle’s property in Oxford, Ohio.

Defendant’s uncle was camping on this property and testified that defendant knocked on his camper door about 4:00 a. m. on the morning of July 5, 1980. Defendant talked with his uncle for a few minutes and said he had been in a fight and wanted to burn some clothes in the campfire. He was also going to burn his knife but his uncle said he would take the knife. His uncle then went back in his camper and did not actually see defendant burn his clothes. Defendant returned to his own house in Richmond around noon on July 5, 1980. Two police officers came to his house later that afternoon and said that they wanted to question him. Defendant accompanied them to the police station and later that afternoon signed a written statement admitting to the murder of Debra Stough.

*685 I.

Defendant first contends that the trial court erred by overruling his motions to suppress his inculpatory statement given to the police at the police station on the afternoon of July 5, 1980. He argues that this statement was given after he was illegally arrested without probable cause. Furthermore, he argues that he was so intoxicated at the time that he could not have made a knowing and voluntary waiver of his rights.

It is clear that if a confession is the product of an unlawful detention or an illegal arrest it is inadmissible. Dunaway v. New York, (1979) 442 U.S. 200, 99 S.Ct. 2248, 60 L.Ed.2d 824; Brown v. Illinois, (1975) 422 U.S. 590, 95 S.Ct. 2254, 45 L.Ed.2d 416; Triplett v. State, (1982) Ind., 437 N.E.2d 468; Morris v. State, (1980) Ind., 399 N.E.2d 740. However, it is also clear that not every police-citizen encounter amounts to a “seizure” of the person so that an arrest or unlawful detention has occurred. The test for determining whether a person has been “seized” for Fourth Amendment purposes is whether, considering all the circumstances surrounding the police-citizen encounter, the defendant entertained a reasonable belief that he was not free to leave. United States v. Mendenhall, (1980) 446 U.S. 544, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (plurality opinion); Barber v. State, (1981) Ind.App., 418 N.E.2d 563.

As a court of review, we review the question of the admissibility of a confession as we do other sufficiency matters. We do not weigh the evidence, but rather determine whether there was substantial evidence of probative value to support the trial court’s finding. This is true even though conflicting evidence is presented on the issue of voluntariness. Long v. State, (1981) Ind., 422 N.E.2d 284; Battle v. State, (1981) Ind., 415 N.E.2d 39, Arch v. State, (1978) 269 Ind. 450, 381 N.E.2d 465.

In the instant case, the facts are sufficient to show that defendant voluntarily accompanied the officers to the police station. The record shows that two officers went to defendant’s home on the afternoon of July 5, 1980. They knocked on the door and were invited to come inside. They asked defendant to accompany them to the police station for questioning. No weapons were drawn and defendant was not handcuffed. Defendant rode to the police station in the front seat of the police car. At the station he talked with one policeman, Officer Bratton, who had been his friend for several years as well as with other officers. He was given a soft drink during the period of questioning. He was read a statement of his Miranda rights and signed the rights form before any questioning started. Defendant had been involved with police on prior occasions and stated that he did understand his rights. He stated that he wanted to talk about the incident because he “wanted to get it off his conscience.” His statement was completed in a little over an hour. One of the police officers testified that after defendant finished giving his statement he asked to see his girlfriend “before he was arrested and taken to the county jail.” While it is true that defendant was not specifically informed at his home that he was not under arrest, no physical restraints were used.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Camm v. State
908 N.E.2d 215 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2009)
Wrinkles v. State
690 N.E.2d 1156 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1997)
Angleton v. State
686 N.E.2d 803 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1997)
Humphrey v. State
680 N.E.2d 836 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1997)
Taylor v. State
659 N.E.2d 535 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1995)
Haimbaugh Landscaping, Inc. v. Jegen
653 N.E.2d 95 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1995)
Thompson v. State
613 N.E.2d 461 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1993)
Davis v. State
598 N.E.2d 1041 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1992)
Chappel v. State
591 N.E.2d 1011 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1992)
Byrd v. State
579 N.E.2d 457 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1991)
Porter v. State
570 N.E.2d 1324 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1991)
Lock v. State
567 N.E.2d 1155 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1991)
Thomas v. State
553 N.E.2d 825 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1990)
Light v. State
547 N.E.2d 1073 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1989)
Hughes v. State
546 N.E.2d 1203 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1989)
Dowery v. State
516 N.E.2d 67 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1987)
State v. Watkins
515 N.E.2d 1152 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1987)
Zook v. State
513 N.E.2d 1217 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1987)
State v. Hollon
494 N.E.2d 280 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1986)
Heald v. State
492 N.E.2d 671 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
440 N.E.2d 682, 1982 Ind. LEXIS 992, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dunaway-v-state-ind-1982.