Lee v. State

12 A.3d 1238, 418 Md. 136, 2011 Md. LEXIS 21
CourtCourt of Appeals of Maryland
DecidedJanuary 31, 2011
Docket115, September Term, 2009
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 12 A.3d 1238 (Lee v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lee v. State, 12 A.3d 1238, 418 Md. 136, 2011 Md. LEXIS 21 (Md. 2011).

Opinions

BARBERA, J.

In its landmark decision, Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966), the Supreme Court held that, before police interrogate a person in custody, the police must advise the person, inter alia, that any statement he or she makes “can and will be used against” him or her in court. We decide in this case whether, following the police officer’s issuance of proper Miranda warnings and the suspect’s knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of the rights afforded by Miranda, the officer subverted the warnings and waiver by later stating that the interrogation is “between you and me, bud.” For the reasons that follow, we hold that the officer’s statement subverted the warnings and waiver, rendering in violation of Miranda all statements the suspect thereafter made during that interrogation.

I.

The issue we address grew out of an incident on September 8, 2006, in which Eric Fountain was fatally shot in his Dun[142]*142dalk, Maryland home, and Randy Hudson, the father of Mr. Fountain’s granddaughter, was assaulted and, allegedly, robbed. Two days later, an informant contacted the Baltimore County Police Department regarding the incident and provided information from which the police developed three suspects: Petitioner Christian Darrell Lee; his cousin, Darnell Smith; and John Satterfield. The police later arrested and charged Petitioner for crimes connected to the events of the night in question. Petitioner filed a pre-trial motion to suppress certain statements he made during a police interrogation. The following facts were developed at the hearing on the motion.

The police arrested Petitioner at 5:30 a.m. on September 9, 2006, and transported him to police headquarters. Detective Craig Schrott of the Homicide Unit began the interrogation of Petitioner at approximately 12:38 p.m. The interview was recorded by a camera hidden in the room.

Detective Schrott began the recorded interview by obtaining from Petitioner certain biographical information. Detective Schrott then said he wanted to interview Petitioner about “a robbery that was down at Dundalk for a guy that was beat up in a back yard, and there was a man that was killed up in his bedroom.” Detective Schrott had Petitioner read aloud the Miranda warnings, including that “anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” Detective Schrott confirmed with Petitioner that he understood each advisement, as. it was read, and that he understood that he was not required to answer the questions and could stop the interview at any time. Petitioner then signed a written waiver of the Miranda rights.

Detective Schrott asked Petitioner if he knew about the incident in Dundalk. Petitioner acknowledged that he knew, because he was present at the scene at the time of the incident. Petitioner explained that, on the night in question, “John” and Petitioner’s cousin, “Darnell,” accompanied by two girls, picked him up from his home. Together they traveled by car to Dundalk, ending up in a park to “have a few drinks.” [143]*143John went into a nearby alley to move the car and there got into a fight with a man. Petitioner and Darnell walked over to the scene of the fight but, according to Petitioner, he left the group because John could “handle himself.” Eventually, John, Darnell, and the man who had been in the fight with John went into a house. The house to which Petitioner referred was the Fountain residence.1

Petitioner acknowledged following the men into the Fountain residence. Petitioner stated at that point in the interrogation that he left the house because he was scared and waited outside for the others, and he did not know what had occurred in the house. Detective Schrott told Petitioner that he had spoken with the others involved, and he knew that Petitioner had been in the house with Darnell. Petitioner then acknowledged that he had gone into the house and up to the second floor with Darnell, where he saw a “guy that was shot.” Petitioner added, though, that he was not present when the shooting took place, he did not hear a shot, and he did not know who shot the man.

Detective Schrott continued to press Petitioner for an explanation of the shooting which, about an hour into the interrogation, led to the following exchange between the two:

Q. The man, where was he at? Was he still in, was he still in bed; was he standing up? I mean, it’s important to tell me what his demeanor is? Tell me what he’s, he’s saying, or what he’s doing, all right, so I can get a better picture of what’s going on, what you’re going through. When the two of you go upstairs, all right, and, is he, is he in the bedroom? Is he—
A. (Witness nodding head yes.)
Q. — is he standing up, or was he still in bed? Was he sleeping? Was he awake? Chris, bud — all right. Was he still in bed or did he get up?
A. I’m going to jail, right?
[144]*144Q. We’re not talking about jail right now.
A. Just — that’s what the whole thing is about.
Q. That ain’t what it’s about. It’s about getting to what the truth is, that’s what it’s all about.
Now, was he still in bed, or did he get out of bed while your cousin was up there?
A. He was still in bed.
Q. And once you two got upstairs what happened?
A. We was told money was under the bed.
Q. Was under the bed. Now who told you that?
A. Chuck told me — John.
Q. Who told that (sic) you?
A. John. Guess he got out of—
Q. John told you that. So — all right, sir — so when you got there, you went into that room, was that man awake; was he asleep?
A. He was asleep.
Q. He was asleep?
A. Yeah, this is being recorded.
Q. This is between you and me, bud. Only me and you are here, all right? All right?
A. I’m trying to put together fact and accept that my life is basically over.

(Emphases added.)

Not long after that exchange, Petitioner admitted for the first time during the interrogation that he shot Eric Fountain:

Q. Are you guys — do you wake him up, or does your cousin wake him up looking for the money, or do you try to find the money without waking him up?
A. First we look under the bed. He, he woke up when my cousin left, then he tried to rush me. He got too close. I tried to run. I didn’t see, I didn’t see why. I tried to get him away from me so I could leave.
Q. So you were trying to get away?
[145]*145A. I, I thought, I thought a gunshot would scare him. I ain’t know I hit him. I wasn’t even looking.
Q. Slow’d you shoot when you were running? I mean, did you shoot like over your shoulder?

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
12 A.3d 1238, 418 Md. 136, 2011 Md. LEXIS 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lee-v-state-md-2011.