State v. Henry

352 So. 2d 643
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedNovember 14, 1977
Docket59632
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 352 So. 2d 643 (State v. Henry) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Henry, 352 So. 2d 643 (La. 1977).

Opinion

352 So.2d 643 (1977)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Gilbert HENRY.

No. 59632.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

November 14, 1977.
Rehearing Denied December 14, 1977.

*645 James E. Shields, New Orleans, for defendant-appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Louise S. Korns, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

CALOGERO, Justice.

Defendant, Gilbert Henry, was charged by bill of information with armed robbery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:64, and pled not guilty. He was tried by a twelve person jury which, at the conclusion of a five day trial, found him guilty as charged. The trial court thereafter sentenced defendant to serve 20 years in the custody of the Department of Corrections. On appeal he relies upon ten assignments of error, consolidated into four arguments, for reversal of his conviction and sentence.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

By this assignment defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress a confession which he alleges was not voluntarily given.

A lengthy hearing on the motion disclosed that the confession was obtained under the following circumstances. Convinced of his client's innocence, defendant's counsel persistently requested the District Attorney's office to administer a polygraph test to defendant. On the morning of May 21, 1975, the day scheduled for trial, the District Attorney's office yielded and offered defendant the following proposition: the trial date would be continued and a polygraph test conducted that day; if defendant passed the test, the charges against him would be dropped. If he failed the test he would enter a guilty plea. Defendant accepted the offer and signed a detailed Agreement and Stipulation form which provided, inter alia, that the polygraphist would have access to state and defense investigative files in formulating his questions; that he would have sole discretion in determining the conduct of the examination and the questions to be asked; that the defendant would answer all questions truthfully; and that the results of the polygraph test and any statements made by defendant during any phase of the examination would be admissible in evidence. Additionally, defendant signed a document certifying that he understood the provisions of the Agreement and Stipulation and voluntarily waived his right to remain silent and to have counsel present during the examination.

Prior to defendant's signing the above described forms, defense counsel and the assistant district attorney explained their terms and the consequences of the agreement at length, devoting approximately two and one-half hours to this task. Thereafter, the trial judge, who witnessed defendant's signature, also reviewed defendant's rights with him to insure that his waiver was voluntary. The attorney later testified that he would not have permitted defendant to enter the agreement had he not been confident that defendant understood his rights.

After defendant signed the agreement, he was taken to a room in the criminal court building to be tested by Sgt. Frank Ruiz, a polygraphist from the New Orleans Police Department. Ruiz testified that at the outset of the interview he advised defendant that he did not have to answer any questions and that he could discontinue the test at any time.

Ruiz explained that his standard testing procedure is to pose a set of 12 questions to *646 the subject which are reviewed before the actual test begins. The questions are then repeated and a reading taken on the subject's responses. After the first chart is taken, Ruiz customarily discusses the questions and responses with the subject to determine whether he has experienced any particular difficulty with them. The test is then readministered on the basis of the same 12 questions and a second reading taken.

Defendant's examination was commenced at approximately 12:30 p. m. At the conclusion of the first test, Ruiz informed defendant that he had failed and asked whether he might clear up any problems defendant may have had with the questions. In a 15-20 minute discussion, defendant related that although it had not been his idea to rob the Westside Cleaners, he had driven a friend to that location with knowledge of his intention to rob it and had picked him up around the corner after the robbery as agreed upon beforehand. After defendant had confessed, Ruiz considered it unnecessary to conduct the second test, and the examination was concluded at 1:45 p. m., one hour and 15 minutes after its inception.

Defendant testified at the hearing that after taking the first chart Ruiz had disconnected the testing apparatus, verbally abused him and attempted to extract a confession. Defendant stated further that he did not confess.

The thrust of defendant's argument on appeal is that the discussion which resulted in the confession was not part of the polygraph examination and was not contemplated by defendant or defense counsel at the time they executed the waiver forms. The argument is based upon defense counsel's testimony that he did not and would not have agreed to any post-test questioning, and upon defendant's assertion that the testing apparatus had been disconnected before the critical discussion began. The state contends that under the terms of the agreement Ruiz was authorized to determine how the examination was to be conducted and under the procedure he established, defendant's confession was given during a "phase" of the examination. As noted above, Ruiz claimed that before defendant confessed he, Ruiz, had intended to take a second reading of his responses, and thus he had not detached the testing wires from defendant's person until after the confession was given.

Before a confession or inculpatory statement may be introduced in evidence, the state has the burden of proving affirmatively and beyond a reasonable doubt that it was free and voluntary and not made under the influence of fear, duress, menaces, threats, inducements or promises. La.R.S. 15:451; La.C.Cr.P. art. 703(C); State v. Adams, 347 So.2d 195 (La.1977); State v. Glover, 343 So.2d 118 (La.1977); State v. Taylor, 336 So.2d 855 (La.1976); State v. Peters, 315 So.2d 678 (La.1975). Additionally, it must be shown that an accused who makes a confession during custodial interrogation was first advised of his Miranda rights. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966).

Upon reviewing the testimony taken at the lengthy hearing on the motion to suppress and the exhibits, including the Agreement and Stipulation form signed by the defendant, his attorney, the assistant district attorney and witnessed by the Honorable Thomas Brahney, Judge Ad Hoc, we conclude that all of what transpired between defendant and Officer Ruiz, including the discussion during which defendant confessed, was free, knowing and voluntary. The record supports the trial court's conclusion that defendant confessed voluntarily.

Even if we were to conclude that the Agreement and Stipulation did not authorize a post-test interview and that it was a post-test interview during which defendant confessed (a conclusion not supported by our construction of the agreement and the event) we would still find that the state had established the voluntariness of defendant's statement. Defendant was given a thorough explanation of his rights prior to the polygraph examination and it is apparent *647 that he understood those rights.

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Bluebook (online)
352 So. 2d 643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-henry-la-1977.