State v. Ababa

68 P.3d 618, 101 Haw. 344
CourtHawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 4, 2002
Docket24127
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 68 P.3d 618 (State v. Ababa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Ababa, 68 P.3d 618, 101 Haw. 344 (hawapp 2002).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

FOLEY, J.

On January 5, 2000, Defendant-Appellee Harvey Ababa (Ababa) was charged by complaints filed in the District Court of the First Circuit, Honolulu Division, with Attempted Murder in the Fust Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and Place to Keep Pistol or Revolver. Orders of commitment to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit (circuit court) on all charges were filed on January 11, 2000, and Ababa was charged in the circuit court by complaint filed January 13, 2000, with the following:

Attempted Murder in the Fúst Degree, in violation of Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §§ 705-500 (1993), 1 707-701(l)(a) *347 (2000), 2 and 706-656 (1993 & Supp.2001); 3 Murder in the Second Degree, in violation of HRS §§ 707-701.5 (1993) 4 and 706-656 (1993 & Supp.2001); •
Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, in violation of HRS §§ 705-500 (1993), 707-701.5 (1993) and 706-656 (1993 & Supp.2001); and
Place to Keep Pistol or Revolver, in violation of HRS § 134-6(c) and (e) (Snpp. 2001). 5

Plaintiff-Appellant State of Hawai'i (State) appeals from the February 6, 2001 “Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order Granting Defendant’s Motion to Suppress *348 Statements” (Order). 6 The State contends the circuit court erred in finding that Ababa’s constitutional and statutory rights to counsel and against self-incrimination were violated, warranting suppression of Ababa’s self-incriminating statement to police. We agree with the State and vacate the circuit court’s February 6, 2001 Order.

I. BACKGROUND

The charges against Ababa arose out of a shooting incident that occurred on December 31, 1999, in which one man died and another man was shot in the stomach. Ababa was identified by several persons as being involved in the incident.

At the May 15, 2000 hearing on Ababa’s Motion to Suppress Statements, Detective Mark Wiese (Detective Wiese) testified that he was the lead detective in the murder investigation of the December 31, 1999 shooting incident. Ababa was arrested on January 3, 2000 at approximately 1:30 p.m. and arrived at the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) station at approximately 2:00 p.m. Based on HPD cellblock telephone logs, Detective Wiese testified that Ababa was given an opportunity to make a telephone call to a family member or an attorney at approximately 9:06 a.m. on January 4, 2000.

Detective Wiese testified that pursuant to their investigation, he and Detective Larry Tamashiro (Detective Tamashiro) (collectively “the Detectives”) met with Ababa at a police cellblock interview room on January 4, 2000 at 9:30 a.m. to ask Ababa if he wanted to make a statement. Ababa chose not to make a statement and was returned to his cell approximately five minutes later. On cross-examination, the following testimony was elicited from Detective Wiese as to what occurred during the five minutes in the interview room:

[DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER (DPD):] Q What was discussed at that point?
[DETECTIVE WIESE:] A Basically, we told him that, you know, he understood what he was arrested for and that if he was gonna to talk to us. He said no, he wanted an attorney. I said fine, and I took him back out and then when they took him back to the cell, I signed him back out.
Q That was the extent of your conversation?
A Correct.
Q Did you, I guess, apprise him that he could talk to an attorney, or did he say that he wanted to talk to an attorney?
A I don’t understand the question.
Q Did you inform ‘um that he could at that point talk to an attorney if he wanted, or did he simply just say I want an attorney?
A Oh, no, my procedure is, I always tell ‘um you can talk to an attorney or you can talk to me. If he wanted an attorney, then I can’t talk to you, I have to take you back to the cellblock.
Q There’s been reference to an HPD 81 form, did you go over that form with him in-
A Not at that time, no.
THE COURT: Wait till the question—
THE WITNESS: I’m sorry.
THE COURT: Go ahead, restate the question. These are key questions.
[DPD]: Q With respect to the HPD 81 form, Detective, in that first conversation with Harvey Ababa when you took ‘um out at about 9:30 into another room, did you go over an HPD 81 form?
A No, I just asked him if he wanted to talk to me.
Q And that’s when he simply said no, he wants to talk to an attorney?
A Yeah.
Q And there was nothing mentioned about a public defender at that point, was there?
A No.
Q And after he said that he wanted to talk to an attorney, what did you do?
A I put ‘um back, took ‘um back next door.
Q So, with respect to the HPD 81 form and the rights on that form, his rights *349 were not read to him by yourself at that point, correct?
A No.
Q When he asked to speak to an attorney, he didn’t request any particular attorney?
A No.
Q He didn’t mention anything about a public defender?
A No.
Q You mentioned that when a prisoner asks for an attorney, you will make an effort to get an attorney.
A If a prisoner asks me specifically to contact an attorney whether it be the Public Defender’s Office or a specific attorney that’s (indiscernible) to him, his family or something, I would make that effort, yes.
Q So, they have to give you a specific, either a name of an attorney or specifically mention a public defender for you to make that effort?

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Related

State v. Anderson
2007 UT App 304 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2007)
General Security Indemnity Co. of Arizona v. Tipton
2007 UT App 109 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2007)
State v. Ababa
65 P.3d 156 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
68 P.3d 618, 101 Haw. 344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ababa-hawapp-2002.