Smith v. State

691 S.W.2d 154, 286 Ark. 247, 1985 Ark. LEXIS 2039
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 17, 1985
DocketCR 85-32
StatusPublished
Cited by50 cases

This text of 691 S.W.2d 154 (Smith v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. State, 691 S.W.2d 154, 286 Ark. 247, 1985 Ark. LEXIS 2039 (Ark. 1985).

Opinion

Jack Holt, Jr., Chief Justice.

The appellant, age 16, entered guilty pleas on January 7, 1977, to charges of rape and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 40 years and 5 years respectively for the crimes. The sentences were to run consecutively. On November 9, 1983, the appellant filed a motion to withdraw his plea which was granted and a new trial ordered, on July 25, 1984. [Although the motion was apparently untimely pursuant to A. R. Cr. P. 37.2(c), no objection was made below on those grounds.] Following a jury trial on September 18,1984, the appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and 50 years for aggravated robbery, the terms to run consecutively. It is from that conviction that this appeal is brought. Our jurisdiction is pursuant to Sup. Ct. R. 29(l)(b).

The appellant raises numerous points on appeal. He challenges the trial court’s failure to suppress a confession made by him, and the admission into evidence of a watch owned by the victim; he argues that there was no substantial evidence to support either charge and it was error therefore not to grant his motion for directed verdict; he claims the court erred by imposing a greater sentence on retrial than was originally imposed and by failing to modify the sentences; and finally he argues that the trial judge abused his discretion when he mechanically ordered the sentences served consecutively. The appellant’s sundry points fall into three groups and will be discussed in that manner. We find no error.

7. EVIDENTIARY RULINGS

The first argument raised by the appellant is that the court erred by not suppressing an incriminating statement made by him while he was in custody. In support of this contention, the appellant raises numerous overlapping issues, but basically he maintains that the statement was involuntary because he had not waived his right to remain silent or his right to counsel and had in fact invoked those rights before his statement was taken; the statement was not reliably proven; and the statement was the tainted fruit of an illegal arrest and seizure.

The facts surrounding the commission of the crime were as follows. Lula Brock, age 82, of Murfreesboro, Arkansas, was raped and robbed in her home on December 31, 1976. The appellant was arrested on January 1,1977, and was interrogated that same day, at which time no statement was made. He was interrogated again on January 3, 1977, when he made a statement admitting he had committed the crime.

According to his statement, the appellant went to Mrs. Brock’s house because he figured she would have some money he could take. He said he took a long kitchen-type knife with him and knocked on the back door. Mrs. Brock opened the door and the appellant said he stepped inside, pulled the knife out, grabbed her arm and asked her if she had any money. The appellant told police Mrs. Brock gave him an amount over $200.00 and he then decided to rape her. The appellant described the rape and said he then asked Mrs. Brock if she got a social security check and when she would get her next one. According to the statement, Mrs. Brock told the appellant she would get a check the following week, the appellant then cut the telephone receiver from the telephone, hid the receiver in the front room of the house and left.

Prior to the 1984 trial, a Denno hearing was held to determine the voluntariness of the appellant’s confession. Everyone testified who was present at the January 3 interrogation when the statement was made. Joe T. White, who at the time was an investigator for the prosecuting attorney, stated that he advised the appellant of his rights using a standard form, the appellant signed the form, and never requested an attorney. White and the subsequent witnesses all used unsigned copies of the rights form and of the confession that were in the state police files to refresh their memories because the originals of both documents were destroyed about a year and a half before the hearing. Neither document was admitted into evidence.

White further testified that after the appellant waived his rights, he made a statement which White recorded. The statement was then dictated by Sgt. Carroll Page into the official report and signed by the appellant. The witness reviewed the copy of the statement made by the appellant and said it was accurate. White testified that he was basically able to remember the appellant’s statement without looking at the copy, but that he did not remember it exactly. White also stated that the appellant would not have known the phone cord was cut if he had not been in Mrs. Brock’s house.

George Steele, Jr., who was the prosecuting attorney when the crime occurred, testified that although he was present for the January 3 interview he was not there when the appellant’s rights were read to him. Steele stated that he remembered taking the appellant’s statement and recalled in general terms what it was about, but did not remember it specifically without looking at the copy. Steele also testified that the appellant did not ask for a lawyer in his presence.

Carroll Page, a criminal investigator with the state police at the time of the incident, testified that he was present at the January 3 interview and heard White advise the appellant of his rights. Page stated that the appellant never asked for a lawyer. He explained that he dictated the statement made by the appellant into the official report. Page also testified he could not specifically remember what was said by the appellant in his confession without looking at the report, but that the copy of the report accurately reflects the dictated statement.

The appellant’s testimony contradicted that of the officials. He stated that his rights were never read to him at the January 3 interview and that neither White nor Page was present. He denied making a confession but said he did offer an alibi. The appellant also testified that he requested an attorney but never received one. The appellant admitted that he was advised of his rights on January 1 when he was arrested but said he did not understand them and does not remember if he signed the rights form. He said he asked for an attorney on January 1 also, but one was never provided.

We have held that,

In reviewing the admission of a confession over an objection for alleged involuntariness, we make an independent determination based upon the totality of the circumstances and reverse the action of the trial judge only when we find his finding to be clearly against the preponderance of the evidence. ... Of course, a confession given by an accused while in custody is presumed to be involuntary, and the burden of proving that it was actually voluntary rests upon the state, (citations omitted).

Freeman et al v. State, 258 Ark. 617, 527 S.W.2d 909 (1975).

The factors considered in determining voluntariness of a confession are the “age, education, and intelligence of the accused, lack of advice as to his constitutional rights, length of detention, repeated and prolonged nature of questioning, or the use of physical punishment,” Barnes v. State, 281 Ark. 489, 665 S.W.2d 263 (1984).

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Bluebook (online)
691 S.W.2d 154, 286 Ark. 247, 1985 Ark. LEXIS 2039, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-state-ark-1985.