People v. Johnson

168 Misc. 2d 81, 636 N.Y.S.2d 540, 1995 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 607
New York Supreme Court·Decided September 11, 1995·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gloria M. Dabiri, J.

The defendant Ernest Johnson was indicted for the December 20, 1994 shooting of Oswald Mathews at Mathews’ apartment on Parkside Avenue in Brooklyn. He moves to suppress, as the product of his unlawful detention on an unrelated weapons charge, two guns used in the shooting and delivered to the station house by his wife. He also seeks to suppress admissions made by him on the additional ground that his withdrawal from heroin, together with police conduct during his lengthy detention, coerced his admissions.

The court having determined that the police acted without "probable cause” or "reasonable suspicion” (CPL 140.50; People v De Bour, 40 NY2d 210, 223 [1976]; People v Benjamin, 51 NY2d 267, 270 [1980]) in grabbing the defendant as he walked upon a public street, placing him up against a car and conducting a search which revealed a 9mm firearm, finds that two questions remain: (1) whether the recovery of two additional guns with ammunition, brought by Mrs. Ella Johnson to the station house where the defendant was detained, is sufficiently attenuated from the primary illegality (People v Rogers, 52 NY2d 527 [1981], cert denied 454 US 898) and (2) whether the defendant’s statements regarding the shooting, given some 23 hours following his arrest, were voluntarily made. (CPL 60.45 [2] [b] [i]; People v Anderson, 42 NY2d 35.)

The relevant facts are as follows: On December 27, 1994 at approximately 7:40 p.m. the defendant was arrested by Police Officer Ralph Hanna at Bradhurst Avenue and 144th Street in Manhattan and charged with possession of a 9mm firearm. While en route to the 32nd Precinct, he initiated a conversation with Officer Hanna in which he asked Hanna to let him go and stated that he would help Hanna by bringing in additional guns. They arrived at the precinct at approximately 7:50 p.m. and while Hanna elicited pedigree information, the defendant continued to talk about bringing in additional guns. The defendant, who was "kind of fidgety”, talked continuously and was "over-excited”, told Hanna that he "used” heroin. At 9:05 p.m. Detective Martin Davin read Miranda warnings to [83] the defendant. The defendant indicated that he understood his rights and wished to answer questions. Thereafter, Hanna and Davin spoke with the defendant intermittently until approximately 11:30 p.m. During this period the defendant also was questioned by homicide detectives from the 32nd Precinct. Between 11:30 p.m. and 12:45 a.m. the defendant gave a detailed oral statement to Davin in which he explained where and from whom he had purchased the 9mm weapon and said that he had purchased cocaine from the same location. At approximately midnight, the defendant made two telephone calls: one to his wife and the other to an unidentified male. He told the man that he had been arrested, that he was "working with some good police officers” and that the man should gather the guns and give them to the defendant’s wife. Hanna told the defendant that he would tell the District Attorney’s Office that the defendant was cooperating. At approximately 2:00 a.m. the defendant’s wife arrived at the precinct and the defendant, in Hanna’s presence, instructed her to get the guns. At about 4:00 a.m. she returned to the precinct with a Cobray Mac 11 gun, a .380 caliber pistol and matching ammunition.

At 5:40 a.m. the defendant was transported from the 32nd Precinct to Manhattan Central Booking for arraignment. He complained of being ill and asked to see a doctor. Central Booking, therefore, would not accept him and he was returned to the 32nd Precinct. At 8:00 a.m., Hanna filed a felony complaint on the arrest with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. At 9:25 a.m. Warrant Officer John Schupp again transported the defendant to Manhattan Central Booking. At 10:15 a.m. Schupp received a call from Hanna asking that he return the defendant to the 32nd Precinct and Schupp did so.

At 11:45 a.m. Detective Steven Litwin of the Brooklyn South Homicide Task Force learned from Hanna that the defendant, a suspect in the December 20th shooting of Oswald Mathews, was being returned to the 32nd Precinct. Mathews had informed Brooklyn detectives that the defendant shot him and had given Litwin a photograph of the defendant. At about 1:00 p.m. the defendant was questioned by narcotics detectives from Manhattan South. At approximately 2:00 p.m. Hanna purchased a hero sandwich, juice and potato chips and gave them to the defendant. At 4:00 p.m. Detective Litwin and Sergeant Sica arrived at the 32nd Precinct and found the defendant curled up on a bench in the cell.

At 6:15 p.m. Litwin questioned the defendant, asking him about a gun trafficker in Brooklyn. Twenty minutes into their [84] conversation, Litwin told the defendant that he and Sergeant Sica were from Brooklyn and "that [they] knew that [the defendant] had done a shooting in the apartment on Parkside Avenue.” The defendant shook his head "No” and Litwin repeated that they knew he had done it and wanted to hear his version of what had happened. The defendant stated: "He tried to f*** my wife. My wife called me and I went over there.” Litwin then showed the defendant the Miranda waiver, signed the previous evening, and "reminded him that he had waived [his rights], signed the Miranda form and agreed to make a statement.” Litwin then readministered Miranda warnings and the defendant once again indicated that he understood. During the next hour the defendant made statements concerning the shooting. The defendant also told Litwin that he was a heroin user.

At approximately 8:00 p.m., at the request of Detective Richard Colon of the Joint Firearm’s Task Force who was waiting to interview the defendant, Litwin asked the defendant if he would execute a waiver of his right to a timely arraignment and he agreed to do so. At 10:00 p.m. on December 28, 1995 the defendant was transported, a final time, from the 32nd Precinct to Manhattan Central Booking. He was subsequently arraigned on charges related to his December 27th arrest and, thereafter, pleaded guilty to resisting arrest in full satisfaction of the Criminal Court complaint.

On December 29, 1994 at 5:00 p.m. the defendant was examined by a doctor at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. The doctor rendered a diagnosis of heroin withdrawal. The defendant reported to the doctor that he used heroin and complained of stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting and insomnia. The doctor observed that the defendant was sweating, had goose flesh, watery eyes, a congested nose, hyperactive bowel sounds with diffuse tenderness and was depressed.

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People v. Johnson, 168 Misc. 2d 81, 636 N.Y.S.2d 540, 1995 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 607 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1995).

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