State v. Hill

921 P.2d 969, 142 Or. App. 189, 1996 Ore. App. LEXIS 968
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJuly 10, 1996
DocketCM94-20072; CA A86139
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 921 P.2d 969 (State v. Hill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hill, 921 P.2d 969, 142 Or. App. 189, 1996 Ore. App. LEXIS 968 (Or. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinions

[191]*191HASELTON, J.

In an appeal from a conviction for aggravated murder, defendant assigns error to the introduction of evidence obtained through a police officer’s interrogation of defendant while he was in custody and represented by counsel. The trial court considered that evidence, which concerned offenses factually unrelated to the aggravated murder, in sentencing defendant to life without parole. We remand for resentencing. ORS 138.222(5).

The facts found by the trial court are not challenged by the parties and are binding on this appeal. State v. Stevens, 311 Or 119, 126, 806 P2d 92 (1991). In January 1994, defendant and codefendant Cunio abducted two people in Salem, took the victims’ personal property, and drove them to an isolated spot in Benton County. There, defendant and codefendant ordered the victims out of the car, shot them, and then returned to Salem and burglarized one of the victims’ apartment. Defendant was arrested and incarcerated in Benton County. The trial court appointed counsel, and defendant was indicted for the crimes of aggravated murder, ORS 163.095(1)(d); ORS 163.095(2)(d), kidnaping in the first degree, ORS 163.235, and robbery in the first degree, ORS 164.415.

On March 16, 1994, Salem Police Detective Stoelk drove to Benton County to interview defendant. Stoelk had worked with officers from the Benton County Sheriffs Department on the double homicide and had participated in investigating the burglary of the victim’s apartment. Stoelk knew that defendant was represented by counsel on the homicide charges but did not notify defendant’s attorneys of his visit.

Stoelk went to the Benton County Sheriffs Office and told Deputy Luna, an officer assigned to the double homicide, that he wanted to interview defendant about whether he had engaged in sexual intercourse with a minor and about a shooting at an apartment that took place before the homicide. Luna mentioned to Stoelk that he was interested in defendant’s gang activity and would like to know anything Stoelk learned about it.

[192]*192When Stoelk began his interview with defendant, he introduced himself as a Salem police officer and told defendant that he “wanted to speak with him about some incidents in Salem.” Defendant replied, “I don’t really want to talk if I don’t have to.” Stoelk replied that that was all right, but said, “Let me advise you of your [Miranda] rights, first.” Stoelk then told defendant that he was investigating an allegation that defendant had sex with a minor. At that point, defendant laughed and became more relaxed. Stoelk told defendant that he wanted to clear up some cases and that, because defendant was in so much trouble in Benton County, those cases probably would not be prosecuted. Defendant then said he would talk to Stoelk. In a tape-recorded statement, defendant admitted to having sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl on several occasions in Salem motels and stated that she continued to write letters to him in jail. Stoelk then turned off the tape recorder and questioned defendant about several apartment shooting incidents unrelated to the homicides. Defendant first described his participation in a drive-by shooting of which Stoelk was unaware. Defendant also discussed another incident, in which he took codefendant Cunio’s gun and fired seven rounds into an apartment. At the end of the interview, defendant signed a written statement detailing the events.

Defendant waived his right to a jury and entered into a stipulation of facts sufficient to prove the charges of kidnaping, robbery, and aggravated murder. Based on that stipulation, the trial court found him guilty on all counts and proceeded to act as the factfinder in the sentencing proceeding. ORS 163.150.1 Defendant filed a motion to suppress “all [193]*193evidence regarding all statements, oral and written, made to the police on or about March 16, 1994,” asserting that those statements were obtained in violation of defendant’s privilege against self-incrimination under Article I, section 12, of the Oregon Constitution and the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and in violation of defendant’s right to counsel under Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The motion to suppress was denied.

The suppression court concluded, in part:
“Officer Stoelk was interviewing the defendant solely regarding matters ‘unrelated to the Benton Comity homicide charge.’ The law in Oregon is well-established that officers have a right to interview a defendant in these circumstances even though the defendant is represented by an attorney on other charges. The case comes within the general principles of State v. Sparklin, 296 Or 85 (1983). In almost every case where a defendant has pending charges and has an attorney on those charges and where the defendant talks to police officers about unrelated charges, there is always a very real possibility that what he says on the unrelated charges might be used in the proceeding on the other charges for which he has an attorney — particularly in the sentencing process. As the Court reads the cases, they do not hold that because there is a possibility or even a probability that what the defendant said might be used in a sentencing proceeding in another case invalidates the interview. The finding that the Court has to make is whether the interview was ‘factually unrelated’ to the homicide charges. The Court makes that finding.”

After receiving and considering evidence that included defendant’s statements to Stoelk, the trial court sentenced defendant to life in prison without possibility of parole. ORS 163.105(b).

On appeal, defendant assigns error to the denial of his motion to suppress the statements that he made to Stoelk and evidence derived from those statements. As at trial, he [194]*194argues that his statements were obtained in violation of (1) his right to counsel under Article I, section 11, and the Sixth Amendment; and (2) his privilege against self-incrimination under Article I, section 12, and the Fifth Amendment. We consider defendant’s state constitutional claims first. State v. Kennedy, 295 Or 260, 266, 666 P2d 1316 (1983). Because we agree with defendant that his statements were obtained in violation of Article I, section 11, we do not address his other arguments.

Article I, section 11, provides, in part:
“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have the right * * * to be heard by himself and counsel [.]”

Defendant asserts that his Article I, section 11, right to counsel had attached with regard to prosecution of the aggravated murder charge.

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State v. Hill
921 P.2d 969 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
921 P.2d 969, 142 Or. App. 189, 1996 Ore. App. LEXIS 968, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hill-orctapp-1996.