Parker v. State

754 N.E.2d 614, 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 1502, 2001 WL 996116
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 31, 2001
Docket10A01-0010-CR-344
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 754 N.E.2d 614 (Parker v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parker v. State, 754 N.E.2d 614, 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 1502, 2001 WL 996116 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

MATTINGLY-MAY, Judge.

Corey Terrell Parker appeals his convietion after a jury trial of robbery as a Class A felony. 1 Parker alleges the trial court committed error in its admission of his taped confession after a Miranda waiver executed by both himself and his mother. He further contends he was denied due process when the trial court enhanced his sentence pursuant to Ind.Code § 35-50-2-11 for the use of a handgun during the course of the robbery.

We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On December 10, 1999, Parker was seventeen and a half years old and had possession of a .8380 handgun. Parker handed the handgun to Jwan Crawford as the two discussed ways to get money. They decided, along with Darius Smith, to rob Uncle Miltie's Pawn Shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Loren Johnson, owner of Uncle Miltie's, was working on the computer on the counter near the entrance of the store when Crawford entered the store. Crawford told Johnson, "this is a hold-up," and he shot Johnson twice. Johnson then saw two other young men enter the store, begin taking money out of the drawer, and break the glass cases to retrieve merchandise. Johnson was able to dial 911.

Parker, Crawford, and Smith left, ran into an alley behind Uncle Miltie's, and then entered the home of a friend. When the friend's mother began screaming as the three ran in through her front door, they ran back into the alley as if nothing had happened. Sergeant Tim Deering of the Jeffersonville Police Department was four blocks away from the scene when he heard the radio report of the shooting. Sergeant Deering drove to the alley and noticed several people, including Parker, Smith and Crawford. When Sergeant Deering spoke with them, they said that they had been in the alley for an hour and had seen no one running through the area. Additional investigation revealed Parker, Smith and Crawford had just arrived in the alley and had not been there for an hour. After the three again told Sergeant Deering they had been in the alley for an hour, Sergeant Deering arrested them for false informing. Parker was held in a juvenile detention facility.

*616 Later that evening, Parker's mother arrived at the police station and was immediately put into an interview room with Parker. Parker and his mother agreed that he should make a statement to police, and she and Parker signed a Miranda advisement and waiver of rights on December 11, 1999, at 1:05 a.m. The waiver explained that Parker had the right to remain silent, that anything he said could be used against him a court of law, that he could speak with counsel before and during questioning, that he had the right to appointment of an attorney at no expense, and that he had 'the right to stop the questioning at anytime. The waiver further explained that due to his juvenile status, he had the right to consult with a parent or guardian and have them present during questioning. (R. at 614.)

Two detectives discussed with Parker and his mother the events at Uncle Mil-tie's. Parker subsequently gave a taped statement implicating Crawford, Smith, and himself in the robbery. He was charged with attempted murder, 2 robbery, 3 residential entry, 4 false informing, 5 and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony. 6

Prior to trial, Parker moved to suppress his statement to police. The motion was denied. Parker was convicted of the Class A felony robbery charge and was sentenced to forty years, with five years added to his sentence for the use of a handgun during the offense.

Parker now challenges his conviction, claiming his statement should have been suppressed because he was a juvenile and the statement was not knowingly or voluntarily made. He additionally claims he was denied due process because the trial court enhanced his sentence by five years upon finding he used a handgun in the course of the robbery. Parker specifically alleges the statutory sentence enhancement applied in his cause is unconstitutional.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

1. Voluntariness of Statement

We review a trial court's ruling as to the voluntariness of a waiver by looking to the totality of the cireum-stances, considering only the evidence favorable to the State and any uncontested evidence. Carter v. State, 686 N.E.2d 1254, 1257 (Ind.1997). Ind.Code § 81-82-5-4 provides that a review of the totality of the circumstances in juvenile cases is to include consideration of the child's physical, mental, and emotional maturity; whether the child or parent understood the consequences of the child's statements; whether the child and parent had been informed of the delinquent act; the length of time the child was held in custody before consulting with his parent; whether there was any coercion, force, or inducement; and whether the child and parent were advised of the child's right to remain silent and to the appointment of counsel. Cherrone v. State, 726 N.E.2d 251, 258-54 (Ind.2000).

Ind.Code § 81-82-5-1 sets forth the requirements for a valid waiver of state or federal constitutional rights in cases involving a juvenile. The statute provides in relevant part that these rights may be waived by the child's parent or guardian only if;

*617 (A) that person knowingly and voluntarily waives the right;
(B) that person has no interest adverse to the child;
(C) meaningful consultation has occurred between that person and the child; and
(D) the child knowingly and voluntarily joins in the waiver.

A hearing on the voluntariness of Parker's statement was held, and the trial court determined there was no cause to suppress the statement. The trial court based its decision on the totality of the cireumstances, supported by Parker's own version of events. Parker testified that he had been held in a separate juvenile facility and that he slept while authorities contacted his mother in an effort to secure a Miranda waiver and statement from him. When Parker's mother arrived at the police station, Parker was awakened and brought for questioning. According to both Parker and detectives that testified at the suppression hearing, Parker and his mother were able to have a short, private meeting before talking to detectives. Detectives spent an additional 830 minutes with Parker and his mother discussing the investigation into the attempted murder and robbery at Uncle Miltie's before any statement was taken.

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Bluebook (online)
754 N.E.2d 614, 2001 Ind. App. LEXIS 1502, 2001 WL 996116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parker-v-state-indctapp-2001.