Leach v. State

265 N.W.2d 495, 83 Wis. 2d 199, 1978 Wisc. LEXIS 985
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedMay 2, 1978
Docket76-103-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 265 N.W.2d 495 (Leach v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leach v. State, 265 N.W.2d 495, 83 Wis. 2d 199, 1978 Wisc. LEXIS 985 (Wis. 1978).

Opinions

HANLEY, J.

Three issues are presented on this appeal:

1. Were the defendant’s statements properly admitted into evidence?

2. Was the evidence sufficient to sustain the verdict?

3. Did the trial court err in refusing to instruct the jury on battery?

Defendant’s Statements

The defendant contends that the statements here under review were made after his repeated assertions of the right to remain silent and his request for an attorney, and thus in violation of the dictates of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 865 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed.2d 694 (1966).

On April 9, 1975, a Miranda-Goodchild hearing was held before Judge Leander J. Foley, Jr., to determine the [204]*204admissibility of four separate statements made by the defendant on October 14 and 15, 1974, the night of and the day following the defendant’s arrest. Three members of the Milwaukee Police Department testified at this hearing. The first witness was Officer William Tengel. He testified that at 10:50 p.m. on October 14, 1974, he and two other police officers went to the defendant’s home to investigate the incident which had occurred at the laundromat. The reason that their investigation was directed towards the defendant at that time was that the license plate number given to the police was registered to the defendant’s wife. The defendant fit the description of the woman’s attacker and he was immediately arrested. After being advised of his constitutional rights and indicating that he understood them, the defendant stated that he returned home from work that evening at 8:30 p.m. The defendant told Tengel that he would say nothing further and questioning ceased. Defense counsel conceded that this statement was constitutionally admissible, and the court so found.

The second witness at the hearing, Officer Duane Luick, testified with respect to the defendant’s second statement. At about 1:25 a.m. on the morning following the defendant’s arrest, Luick advised the defendant of his constitutional rights and asked him if he understood those rights. The defendant stated he did. Luick then informed the defendant that he was suspected of being involved in an attempted rape and that Luick wanted to get preliminary information from him, i.e., the defendant’s place of birth, educational background and membership in the military service. Luick then asked the defendant if he wanted to make any statement regarding the attempted rape. The defendant stated he did not. Luick terminated his questioning and left the interviewing room.

Luick returned to the room about 15 minutes later. At this time defendant, unprompted by any questioning, [205]*205made a second statement to the effect that he had been drinking too much and that when he drinks he cannot control himself. Luick asked the defendant if he had anything further to say, and the defendant replied that he wanted to confer with an attorney before making any further statements. Questioning then ceased, and Luick left the room.

The court concluded that the Miranda warnings given to the defendant at 1:25 a.m. were effective at 1:50 a.m. when the defendant made this second statement, and that the statement was voluntary.

Detective Robert Puls testified as to the defendant’s third statement. Shortly after he made the statement to Officer Luick, the defendant was being escorted to another area of the Safety Building and ultimately to the city jail when he was intercepted by Detective Puls. Puls had been assigned to interview the defendant regarding his possible involvement in several unsolved south side murders. Puls took the defendant to another interviewing room and advised the defendant of his assignment. Puls also advised the defendant of his constitutional rights. Puls then stated that he would not ask the defendant questions relating to the attempted rape charge but would limit his questions to the unsolved murders. The defendant responded that he was not involved in any murders but that he would talk to the detective.

From about 2:00 a.m., when this interview was commenced, to about 2:30 a.m., the conversation was limited to the defendant’s general history, particularly the models and makes of automobiles the defendant had owned. (Puls testified that various automobiles had been seen in the vicinity of the various murders, and that his purpose was to determine if the defendant’s automobile matched their descriptions.) Puls testified that about 2:30 a.m., the defendant, who had theretofore been alert and coherent, began to get emotional and to cry. The [206]*206defendant then informed Puls that he wanted to make a statement regarding the attempted rape. Puls reminded the defendant that he had previously stated he wanted an attorney present before being subjected to further inquiry on this matter, but the defendant responded that he no longer wanted an attorney and that he just wanted to “get it all off his chest.” Puls left the room and shortly thereafter returned with another detective. After again being advised of his rights, Puls testified that the defendant made the following statement:

“He stated that he went with two co-workers to Nick’s Coal Bin Tavern which is located on 17th and Canal Streets which was in the City of Milwaukee. He stated he played dice and was drinking beer until sometime after 8:30 p.m. on the 14th. He stated that he then left the tavern. He stated he had too much to drink; and at this time, he was planning on going home; and he stated he went to his automobile and drove across the viaduct and as he was going down 13th Street on his way home, he happened to glance over into a laundromat which is on 13th Street. He stated it was around Layton Avenue; he didn’t know exactly what the address was. He stated that he saw a woman alone in the laundromat. He stated at this time he received one of his urges similar to which he’s had since he’s been a teenager and that at this time he pulled his automobile into the parking lot at the rear of the laundromat, entered the laundromat. The woman was still alone. He stated he went to a soda machine, took an orange soda, and then walked near the woman. He stated she was sitting by a wall near the rear of the laundromat; and after taking a couple of sips of the orange drink, he again got a sexual urge to have the woman. It was at this time that he went up to the woman and began scuffling with her. He stated that he then began dragging her out of the building and was taking her to his car. He stated prior to getting to the automobile, he noticed people chasing after him; so he let the woman go, got into his automobile, and immediately went home. He stated that the urge he had was that he wanted to rape the woman, but then he corrected this. He stated, no, he didn’t want to rape her. He just wanted to have sexual relations with her.”

[207]*207During the hearing, the defendant testified that he was shown pictures of the murder victims and that this procedure made him upset and nervous. The defendant testified that he therefore made the statements “to assure them I had nothing to do with the murders and that I would . . . talk this other thing over to get off that subject. . . .” The defendant, however, admitted that Puls made no threats or promises to induce him into making the statement. Puls also denied showing the defendant any pictures.

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

Related

Greene v. Pollard
677 F. Supp. 2d 1073 (W.D. Wisconsin, 2010)
State v. Jennings
2002 WI 44 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2002)
Tenner v. State
763 S.W.2d 877 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
State v. Turner
401 N.W.2d 827 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1987)
State v. Koput
396 N.W.2d 773 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1986)
State v. Billings
329 N.W.2d 192 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1983)
State v. Price
330 N.W.2d 779 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1983)
United States v. Byron Steve Madison and James L. Best
689 F.2d 1300 (Seventh Circuit, 1982)
Watson v. Nix
551 F. Supp. 1 (S.D. Iowa, 1982)
Beck v. Alabama
447 U.S. 625 (Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Shaffer
292 N.W.2d 370 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1980)
Wentela v. State
290 N.W.2d 313 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1980)
Jordan v. State
287 N.W.2d 509 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1980)
Upshaw v. Powell
478 F. Supp. 1264 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1979)
State v. Hockings
273 N.W.2d 339 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1979)
Cranmore v. State
271 N.W.2d 402 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1978)
Zelenka v. State
266 N.W.2d 279 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1978)
Leach v. State
265 N.W.2d 495 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 N.W.2d 495, 83 Wis. 2d 199, 1978 Wisc. LEXIS 985, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leach-v-state-wis-1978.