Rush v. State

939 A.2d 689, 403 Md. 68, 2008 Md. LEXIS 16
CourtCourt of Appeals of Maryland
DecidedJanuary 11, 2008
Docket31, Sept. Term, 2007
StatusPublished
Cited by66 cases

This text of 939 A.2d 689 (Rush 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
Rush v. State, 939 A.2d 689, 403 Md. 68, 2008 Md. LEXIS 16 (Md. 2008).

Opinions

BATTAGLIA, J.

The case sub judice presents this Court with the issue of whether a police detective’s modification of the Miranda warnings to state that Petitioner could be appointed counsel “at some time” satisfied the requirements of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). This case also presents us with determining the scope of our appellate jurisdiction to consider a “cross-appeal” by a defen[73]*73dant when the State notes an interlocutory appeal from the grant of a motion to suppress under Section 12—302(c)(3) of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article.1

Rush, the defendant below, filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari, raising the following question for our review:

Did the Court of Special Appeals err in reversing the findings of the trial Court that an interrogating detective’s modification of the Miranda warnings to suggest that she would be appointed counsel “at some time” improperly implied that the defendant could not have appointed counsel during her interrogation?

The State filed a Conditional Cross-Petition for Writ of Certiorari, presenting us with two additional questions:

1. Did the Court of Special Appeals lack jurisdiction to consider Rush’s cross-appeal where the State noted an interlocutory appeal from the grant of a motion to suppress [74]*74under Section 12-302(c)(3) of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article?
2. Assuming arguendo that an appellate court has jurisdiction to consider Rush’s interlocutory cross-appeal, does the record in this case establish that Rush’s statement to the police was voluntary and not the product of any improper inducement?2

We shall hold that the advisements, as modified, did satisfy the requirements of Miranda and although Rush did not have the right to cross-appeal, she did have the right, in the State’s appeal, to defend the ruling of the trial court on alternative grounds.

I. Introduction

On May 1, 2006, Petitioner, Cindi Renee Katherine Rush, was arrested by Corporal Chinn and other members of the Prince George’s County Police Criminal Investigation Division on a warrant charging her with murder in the first degree of Patricia Caniglia. Rush was transported to the District III Station where she was interviewed by Detective Kerry Jernigan.3 The interview was digitally recorded, saved onto a DVD, and later transcribed. It began:

DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: It’s Cindi, right?
THE DEFENDANT: Mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: How are ya?
THE DEFENDANT: All right.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: My name’s Detective Jernigan.
THE DEFENDANT: Mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Do you know why you’re here?
THE DEFENDANT: No. I’d really like to know.
[75]*75DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay. Well, I’m gonna tell ya. We’re investigating the death of—was it Ms. Caniglia?
THE DEFENDANT: Uh-huh.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: I know you know her.
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay.
THE DEFENDANT: I went to her funeral.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay. And what I wanna do is talk to you about that incident where she was killed.
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay?
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Do you have any problems talkin’ to me?
THE DEFENDANT: No. That’s fine.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: All right. You ever been—
THE DEFENDANT: Anything you wanna know.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: You ever been arrested before or—
THE DEFENDANT: No.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN:—dealt with the police at all?
THE DEFENDANT: No.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: All right. Before I can talk to ya, I’m sure you’re aware, you watch TV, I have to advise you of your constitutional rights. I can’t ask you questions until I’ve done that.
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: And give you a opportunity—
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN:—to decide if you wanna talk to me or not. But that’s what I wanna talk to you about. I understand you used to work for them at one time or—
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah, mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN:—know the, know Anthony?
[76]*76THE DEFENDANT: I used to live with them. I used to work for them about three years ago.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay.
THE DEFENDANT: Mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: All right. Well, let’s get the formalities out of the way.
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Need anything to drink or anything or—
THE DEFENDANT: No. I’m okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay.
THE DEFENDANT: Actually, I was wonderin’, I don’t know why I’m even here. The detective, police showed up at my door and arrested me, said I had a warrant.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay. Cindi, how far’d ya get in school?
THE DEFENDANT: Ninth grade.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Do you know how to read? THE DEFENDANT: Yeah, I’ve taken GED classes and I just haven’t been able to go take the test. I’m very (unintelligible). I have my CNA license and everything.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Okay. All right. Just to prove to me that you know how to read—
THE DEFENDANT: Mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN:—I’m gonna let you read a portion of this statement for me, okay?
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Can you move that chair on up? Read this first sentence—
THE DEFENDANT: Mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE JERNIGAN:—on the top line for me.
THE DEFENDANT: “I am now going to read to you your rights under the law.”
[77]*77DETECTIVE JERNIGAN: Very good. All right. I’m gonna read the rest to you out loud and then we’ll go over it together, okay?
THE DEFENDANT: Okay.

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Bluebook (online)
939 A.2d 689, 403 Md. 68, 2008 Md. LEXIS 16, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rush-v-state-md-2008.