People v. Hunt

914 N.E.2d 477, 234 Ill. 2d 49, 333 Ill. Dec. 58, 2009 Ill. LEXIS 634
Illinois Supreme Court·Decided June 4, 2009·No. 106686·Published·Cited by 58 cases

Opinion

JUSTICE KILBRIDE

delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

Chief Justice Fitzgerald and Justices Freeman, Thomas, Garman, Karmeier, and Burke concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

Defendant initially filed a pretrial motion to suppress all “tape recordings, statements, and conversations” with an informant during two court-ordered consensual “overhears,” arguing they violated his rights to counsel and to remain silent under People v. McCauley, 163 Ill. 2d 414 (1994). Defendant later filed a pretrial motion to suppress audiotape recordings of those same conversations, claiming that the recordings were inaudible. The circuit court of Cook County ultimately granted both motions, suppressing defendant’s statements and the recordings. On interlocutory appeal, the appellate court affirmed the suppression order, but on grounds not raised by the parties. 381 Ill. App. 3d 790, 809. The State appeals from the appellate court’s judgment, arguing that the court: (1) exceeded its scope of review on interlocutory appeal when it suppressed statements not suppressed by the trial court; (2) misconstrued the County Jail Act (Act) (730 ILCS 125/1 et seq. (West 2002)); and (3) erred when it affirmed the trial court’s suppression of the recordings. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

I. BACKGROUND

When law enforcement officials began investigating the murder of Shakir Beckley in May 2002, defendant was a pretrial detainee at the Cook County jail on an unrelated offense. During the course of the Beckley investigation, defendant became a suspect, but he was not charged. Instead, on two separate occasions, July 31, 2002, and August 6, 2002, Chicago police officers signed defendant out of the county jail, transported him to a Chicago police station, and put him in an interview room with informant Mycal Davis. Davis, also a pretrial detainee on an unrelated offense, had previously agreed to participate in the investigation and was wearing a concealed wire in accordance with a court order. On each occasion, detectives recorded Davis’ conversations with defendant. During each recorded conversation, defendant allegedly implicated himself in the Beckley murder. Defendant was later charged with that murder.

Defendant filed a motion to suppress all evidence of his conversations with Davis. In that motion, defendant argued the evidence was obtained in violation of his fifth amendment right to counsel (U.S. Const., amend. V) and his rights to counsel and due process under the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, §§2, 10), as articulated by this court in McCauley. At the hearing on that motion, defendant presented evidence that his attorney on the unrelated offense arrived at the police station and asked to speak with defendant during the July 31 overhear. Defendant asserted that he was not allowed to meet with counsel until the completion of the recorded session. After meeting with counsel, defendant exercised his right to remain silent. It was undisputed that defendant’s attorney was not present on August 6.

The trial court denied defendant’s motion to suppress the August 6 statements, but suppressed the portion of the July 31 statements made after defendant’s attorney arrived at the police station, relying on McCauley. The trial court later vacated its suppression order sua sponte and instructed the parties to provide additional arguments about the impact of the attorney’s arrival on July 31. Thereafter, defendant filed a motion to suppress the tape recordings, arguing they were substantially inaudible.

The trial judge and the parties listened to the recordings before holding two combined hearings on defendant’s motion to suppress statements and recordings. Defendant argued the recordings should be suppressed because they were inaudible. The State responded the recordings were sufficiently audible to hear defendant make a number of incriminating statements, including an identification of the type of gun used in the murder and the names of other people at the crime scene.

In his other challenge, defendant reasserted his earlier position that all evidence of the statements should be suppressed for violating his fifth amendment rights and his constitutional rights under McCauley because his attorney arrived during the July 31 session. While the State acknowledged conflicting evidence on when defendant’s attorney arrived, it maintained that all statements should be admitted because they were obtained pursuant to the court order and did not violate defendant’s constitutional rights.

Following the hearings, the trial court entered an oral ruling suppressing defendant’s statements and the recordings. The court found that defendant’s attorney arrived at 3:14 p.m. on July 31 and that the July 31 and August 6 recordings were inaudible and “worthless.”

The State filed a certificate of substantial impairment with its interlocutory appeal under Supreme Court Rule 604(a)(1) (210 Ill. 2d R. 604(a)(1)) from the suppression order. On appeal, the appellate court affirmed the suppression order but on grounds the court raised sua sponte and unlike those argued by the parties. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 809. The appellate court first considered the propriety of transferring defendant from the jail to the police station on July 31 and August 6. Construing section 19.5 of the Act (730 ILCS 125/19.5 (West 2002)), the court held that a judicial order is required to transfer custody of a pretrial detainee from the sheriff to the police investigating an unrelated criminal matter. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 805.

Relying on its construction of the Act and interpretation of People v. Campa, 217 Ill. 2d 243 (2005), the court found that defendant was illegally arrested when he was removed from the county jail on July 31 and August 6 without a court order. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 806. The appellate court then determined that defendant’s statements were properly suppressed under the fourth amendment exclusionary rule because they were not sufficiently attenuated from his illegal arrests. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 807.

Applying the same logic, the appellate court further determined that the recordings were also properly suppressed as the fruits of defendant’s illegal arrests. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 808. Alternatively, the appellate court found that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by suppressing the recordings because they were inaudible. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 808. Lastly, the appellate court concluded, in light of its fourth amendment analysis, that the State’s substantive arguments on the constitutional prohibition against self-incrimination were rendered moot. 381 Ill. App. 3d at 809.

We allowed the State’s petition for leave to appeal. 210 Ill. 2d R. 315.

II. ANALYSIS

On appeal to this court, the State contends the appellate court: (1) exceeded its scope of review on interlocutory appeal by suppressing statements not included in the trial court’s order; (2) misconstrued the Act; and (3) erred when it affirmed the suppression of the recordings as inaudible.

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People v. Hunt, 914 N.E.2d 477, 234 Ill. 2d 49, 333 Ill. Dec. 58, 2009 Ill. LEXIS 634 (Ill. 2009).

914 N.E.2d 477 (People v. Hunt) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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