State v. Joslin

29 P.3d 1112, 332 Or. 373, 2001 Ore. LEXIS 660
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 16, 2001
Docket95C22378; CA A93988; SC S46491
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 29 P.3d 1112 (State v. Joslin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Joslin, 29 P.3d 1112, 332 Or. 373, 2001 Ore. LEXIS 660 (Or. 2001).

Opinion

*375 CARSON, C. J.

In this criminal case, we must decide whether defendant validly waived his right against compelled self-incrimination during custodial interrogation, under Article I, section 12, of the Oregon Constitution, set out post. At the time of his waiver, defendant was unaware that a lawyer whom a family member had hired to represent him had advised, through the family member, that he not speak to police until the lawyer was present. The trial court nonetheless concluded that defendant’s waiver was valid and, accordingly, denied defendant’s motion to suppress certain statements and other evidence that arose from that waiver. A jury thereafter convicted defendant of murder and other crimes, and the Court of Appeals affirmed from the bench. State v. Joslin, 160 Or App 291, 984 P2d 957 (1999). We conclude that defendant did not knowingly waive his right against compelled self-incrimination and that his waiver therefore was invalid. We further conclude that the trial court’s error in denying defendant’s motion to suppress was not harmless. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and the decision of the Court of Appeals.

The following undisputed facts are taken from the trial court’s findings of fact and from the record. On July 27, 1995, a man with a rifle shot and killed a woman, Simonds, at the Salem Family Worship Center in Salem. Defendant soon became a suspect in the shooting.

Later that day, Detective Quackenbush of the Salem Police Department, together with deputies from the Marion County Sheriffs Office, contacted defendant at the home of defendant’s sister, Martin. Quackenbush asked defendant whether he was willing to talk about the shooting and explained that defendant was not under arrest and did not have to accompany Quackenbush to any other location. Defendant stated that he was willing to talk to Quackenbush, and he voluntarily agreed to have the deputies transport him to the station house for the Salem Police Department (police station).

Before arriving at the police station, the deputies and Quackenbush conducted a drive-by identification of *376 defendant by witnesses to the shooting. After stepping out of the deputies’ vehicle, defendant initially stated that he wanted to speak to a lawyer; however, within a few seconds, he asked Quackenbush what kinds of questions Quacken-bush wanted to ask. Quackenbush responded that he could not speak to defendant because defendant had stated that he wanted a lawyer. Defendant responded that he was willing to continue to talk to Quackenbush. Quackenbush then read defendant his Miranda rights from a prepared card, clarified that defendant was not under arrest, and told defendant that he could invoke his rights at any time.

Three witnesses, one of whom asked that defendant remove his shirt, then were asked to identify defendant. Defendant removed his shirt as requested. However, he stated at about the same time that perhaps he should have a lawyer present. Quackenbush asked defendant whether he still was willing to speak to Quackenbush, and defendant responded that he was. Quackenbush again explained that defendant did not have to speak and that he was not under arrest. Defendant responded that he still was willing to speak and to accompany Quackenbush to the police station for an interview.

Meanwhile, Martin had contacted a lawyer, Lipton, who had represented defendant in the past and who agreed to represent defendant for the purpose of the shooting investigation. Martin then called the police station and spoke to Lieutenant Kohlmeyer. Martin told Kohlmeyer that she had hired Lipton as defendant’s lawyer and that Lipton had asked her to tell the police to tell defendant that Lipton did not want defendant to speak to police until Lipton was present. Kohlmeyer replied that he would tell defendant that Lipton had been hired, but not that defendant had been advised not to speak, “because that was [Lipton’s] job.” Martin later called the station two more times, once speaking to someone other than Kohlmeyer and once leaving a message with the communications center, again passing on Lipton’s instructions that defendant not speak to police.

After speaking with Martin, Kohlmeyer called the Marion County District Attorney’s Office for advice. The responding deputy district attorney, Makler, advised *377 Kohlmeyer to tell defendant that Lipton had been hired and was available, but not that Lipton had advised defendant, through Martin, not to speak. Makler then called Dr. Suckow, a psychiatrist who worked on a contract basis with Marion County, and asked him to meet with defendant at the police station to determine whether defendant was suffering from a mental disease or defect.

When Quackenbush arrived at the police station, Kohlmeyer told him that Martin had hired Lipton. Quack-enbush then approached defendant, who had been placed in a small, windowless interview room. Quackenbush told defendant that Martin had hired Lipton to represent him and that defendant could invoke any of the rights that he already had been read. Quackenbush then asked defendant whether, despite having learned that he now had counsel, he still was willing to talk. Defendant responded that he was.

At about the same time, Detectives Garrett and Myers of the Marion County Sheriffs Office arrived at the police station. Upon their arrival, Kohlmeyer told Garrett that Martin had hired a lawyer for defendant, and Quacken-bush advised that he had told defendant as much. However, Garrett and Myers were not told Lipton’s name or the substance of his advice to defendant.

Garrett and Myers then began interviewing defendant. At the outset, Garrett again advised defendant of his Miranda rights, and defendant signed a card that acknowledged that he understood his rights and had no questions in that regard. A short time later, Suckow arrived and joined the interview. Garrett and Myers then questioned defendant, for about an hour, concerning his physical fitness, his work status, any medication that he might have been taking, and whether he recently had consumed alcohol. Garrett and Myers also questioned defendant concerning a rifle that he owned, and defendant discussed his intent to sell the rifle, due to recent delusions that he had been suffering, as well as a fear that he might harm himself or others. At one point, Garrett and Myers also asked defendant if he would be willing to take a polygraph examination. Defendant responded that that sounded like a good idea, but that he would need to speak to his lawyer first.

*378 Garrett and Myers eventually left the interview room, and defendant spoke to Suckow alone for about 10 to 15 minutes. At that time, defendant made statements about his mental health. Garrett and Myers then returned to the interview room and told defendant that he had been identified as the person who had shot Simonds. Defendant responded that he wanted to talk to his lawyer before speaking any further. Garrett and Myers stopped their questioning and arrested defendant.

Defendant later was indicted for murder and other crimes.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 P.3d 1112, 332 Or. 373, 2001 Ore. LEXIS 660, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-joslin-or-2001.