Lowe v. State

627 So. 2d 1127, 1993 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 381, 1993 WL 143844
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMay 7, 1993
DocketCR-91-1291
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 627 So. 2d 1127 (Lowe 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
Lowe v. State, 627 So. 2d 1127, 1993 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 381, 1993 WL 143844 (Ala. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

MONTIEL, Judge.

The appellant, Charles Lowe, was indicted for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving death, in violation of § 32-10-1, Code of Alabama 1975. The jury found the appellant guilty of the offense charged in the indictment. The appellant was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was ordered to pay restitution, attorney fees, and court costs.

The issue raised on appeal is whether the trial court erred to reversal in overruling the appellant’s motion to suppress a tape-recorded statement given to investigating officials.

I

The appellant first contends that a tape-recorded statement made during his interrogation was obtained in violation of Miranda and was not voluntary. Defense counsel moved to suppress the admission into evidence of the tape-recorded statement, alleging that the statement was not voluntary because, he says, Miranda warnings were defective and the appellant was intoxicated when he made the statement. After listening to the tape recording, the trial court found that the appellant was not so intoxicated that he did not knowingly waive his rights to remain silent and to have counsel present during questioning. The trial court further determined that the statement was voluntary and denied the appellant’s motion.

We hold that the trial court correctly determined that the appellant was not so intoxicated as to render the statement involuntary. Prior to questioning the appellant, the investigating officers read the appellant his Miranda rights and the appellant stated that he understood his rights. The appellant then stated that he would not sign a waiver of his rights and the following conversation transpired between the appellant and the officers:

“LOWE: I was saying, ‘It don’t make no difference, I ain’t signing.’ I’ll answer your questions.
“DOCIMO: If you agree to what I said and want to talk to us.
“LOWE: Oh, oh. I agree to that. But, that bottom line which you said, you know. Refresh me on that again.
“DOCIMO: Okay. Which one, Charles? “LOWE: Right there.
“DOCIMO: The waiver.
“LOWE: That’s right.
“DOCIMO: Okay. “I have read this statement of my rights and I understand what my rights are.” Okay.
“WELDON: Do you understand what your rights are?
“LOWE: No.
“WELDON: Okay. You don’t have to talk to us if you don’t want to. Anything you say can be used against you. Okay. You have the right to have a lawyer present when you are answering questions. “DOCIMO: The next statement says, T am willing to make a statement and answer questions.’ Okay? T do not want a lawyer present at this time. I understand and know what I am doing.’ Okay?
‘No promises or threats have been made to me and no pressure or coercion of any kind has been used against me.’ In other words, it is saying that we haven’t threatened you or we haven’t promised you anything and that you’re talking to us willingly and that, if you decide you want an attorney present that you’ll stop talking to us and say, T want an attorney.’ And we’ll go [from] there.
“LOWE: You know, I’ll talk to you willingly. I mean, you know.
“DOCIMO: All right. If you agree with all that....
“LOWE: I’ll talk to you willingly. “DOCIMO: Okay, all you need to do is sign that right there.
“LOWE: I’ll talk to you willingly, whatever. I mean I ain’t got no lawyer or nothing and I feel like, you know, I’ll talk to you willingly. I ain’t, you know, see I’m facing a rap, ain’t nothing I can do but talk now. Like I got all night.”

Whether there was a waiver of the right to remain silent and the right to counsel, and whether that waiver, if any, was made knowingly and voluntarily must be decided from the particular facts of each case. Lewis v. State, 535 So.2d 228 (Ala.Crim.App.1988). A two-part analysis must be applied [1130]*1130when determining the admissibility of a statement given by the accused while he is in custody; the court must first look to see if proper Miranda warnings were given, and then must determine if the statement was voluntary. Siebert v. State, 555 So.2d 772, aff'd, 555 So.2d 780, cert. denied, 497 U.S. 1032, 110 S.Ct. 3297, 111 L.Ed.2d 806 (1989).

A refusal to sign a written waiver of rights form, without more, does not preclude a knowing and intelligent waiver of the right to remain silent and the right to counsel. Davis v. State, 440 So.2d 1191 (Ala.Crim.App.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1083, 104 S.Ct. 1452, 79 L.Ed.2d 770 (1984). Here, the record indicates that the appellant gave his statement and spoke with the investigating officers after they had properly explained his Miranda rights to him for a second time. At no time did the appellant state that he did not want to speak to the officers or that he wanted an attorney present. In fact, immediately after the officers read the waiver of rights form to the appellant for the second time, the appellant again responded that he would willingly talk to the officers.

In determining whether the appellant knowingly and intelligently gave his statement, we must look to the totality of the circumstances. Rogers v. State, 417 So.2d 241, 248 (Ala.Crim.App.1982) (citations omitted). The totality of the circumstances in this case establish that the appellant understood that he had the right to an attorney and the right to remain silent. With this understanding, the appellant was willing to and, in fact did, proceed with the interrogation. Under these circumstances, we conclude the appellant verbally waived his Miranda rights.

We next look to the voluntariness of the statement. The determination of a statement’s voluntariness and its admissibility is left to the discretion of trial court and its exercise of that decision will not be disturbed on appeal unless it is contrary to the great weight of the evidence. Uber v. State, 596 So.2d 608, 612 (Ala.Crim.App.1991); Stariks v. State, 572 So.2d 1301, 1304 (Ala.Crim.App.1990). The trial court, after listening to the tape-recorded statement, found that the appellant was not intoxicated or coerced into making the statement. The appellant was coherent and cooperative, and he spoke clearly, without hesitation. Based upon the evidence presented to us on review, we hold that the trial court’s determination was not contrary to the great weight of the evidence.

II

The appellant further argues that regardless of whether the statement was made voluntarily in compliance with Miranda, the motion to suppress should have been granted because the statement contained hearsay. Specifically, the appellant argues that, during the recording, the officers referred to actions allegedly taken or not taken by the appellant and to the findings of a forensic expert. The trial court allowed the jury to hear only a certain portion of the tape-recorded statement. In addition, the trial court properly gave the jury a limiting instruction by stating, in part:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
627 So. 2d 1127, 1993 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 381, 1993 WL 143844, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lowe-v-state-alacrimapp-1993.