State v. Miller

151 N.W.2d 157, 35 Wis. 2d 454, 1967 Wisc. LEXIS 1222
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJune 6, 1967
StatusPublished
Cited by54 cases

This text of 151 N.W.2d 157 (State v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin 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. Miller, 151 N.W.2d 157, 35 Wis. 2d 454, 1967 Wisc. LEXIS 1222 (Wis. 1967).

Opinion

Beilfuss, J.

The defendant upon appeal does not argue that the evidence was insufficient to convict him but does contend that the trial court did commit prejudicial errors. His allegations of error are summarized in the following issues:

(1) At the hearing on the voluntariness of admissions, did the trial court err in limiting the testimony of the police officers to the facts and circumstances under which the defendant’s admissions were given?

(2) Does Miranda render inadmissible in evidence the oral admissions made by the defendant to the police officers ?

(3) Did the trial court err in denying the defendant’s pretrial requests:

(a) That the defense should be permitted to have the complaining witness examined by a qualified psychiatrist?

(b) that the guardian of the minor, a licensed child welfare agency, turn over whatever records it may have *464 concerning the mental condition of the complaining witness ; and

(c) that the state be ordered to turn over to the defense whatever records it may have concerning the mental condition of the complaining witness ?

At the hearing conducted by the trial court on June 1st to determine the voluntariness of the admissions made by the defendant to the police, the police were not required to state exactly what the admissions were although they did state in general terms the content of the admissions. At the hearing defendant’s counsel on cross-examination demanded to know the exact statements made by the defendant to the officers. The district attorney’s objections to these questions were sustained by the court. In so ruling the court stated that the sole purpose of the pretrial hearing was to determine the voluntariness of any admissions or statements given and that content of the statements or admissions, the truthfulness and the weight and credibility were to be determined by the jury if the court found that the defendant voluntarily made the statements to the police. The trial court suggested to the district attorney that he advise defense counsel generally as to the content of the admission. The district attorney did so and advised defense counsel and the trial court (on the record) that they had no written statements and that he intended to call the officers to testify at the trial and that their testimony would be about as it was in this hearing and that he proposed to show the defendant admitted he had had sexual intercourse with the complaining witness about 10 times.

In making its ruling the trial court relied upon State ex rel. Goodchild v. Burke, supra, at page 264:

“At the hearing on the issue, the trial judge sitting alone shall make a determination upon a proper record upon the issue of voluntariness. The state shall have the burden of proving voluntariness beyond a reasonable doubt. At this hearing the defendant may take the stand *465 and testify for the limited purpose of making a record of his version of the facts and circumstances under which the confession was obtained.”

The sole purpose of the hearing was to have the court make an informed finding on the voluntariness of a confession or admission. It is not the function of the court at that stage to determine the weight and credibility of confession or admission nor the accuracy of the witness relating it at the trial. These are functions of the jury (or the court) at the trial. However, in order to make the hearing on preliminary determination of voluntariness informed and meaningful, at least the general substance of the confession or statement should be made known both for the benefit of the court and the defense counsel. In this instance the testimony of the officers and the statement of the district attorney on the record were sufficient to satisfy this need. The trial court was not in error.

In like situations the trial court must exercise its discretion as to how extensive the revelations of the state must be. The purpose of the hearing is to determine voluntariness and it is not to be converted to an adverse pretrial discovery hearing.

At the trial which commenced in July, 1966, and before the selection of the jury, the defendant made a motion to dismiss partly upon the ground that the statements and admissions made to the police officers were inadmissible in evidence under the rule of Miranda, v. Arizona (1966), 384 U. S. 436, 86 Sup. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. (2d) 694. The defendant contends that after he told the police he wanted to contact his lawyer no statement or admissions of any kind could be taken.

Miranda was not made retroactive and affected only those trials which commenced after the date of the decision, June 13, 1966. (See Johnson v. New Jersey (1966), 384 U. S. 719, 86 Sup. Ct. 1772, 16 L. Ed. (2d) 882.)

*466 The state argues that Miranda does not apply because the ruling on the admissions was made by the court on June 1, 1966, which was before the effective date of Miranda.

Without belaboring the point, we conclude the United States supreme court in the Johnson Case meant the day the trial actually started. It was on July 13, 1966, after the effective date of Miranda, that the trial actually started. It was on this day when witnesses were sworn and testified against Miller so that he was put in jeopardy and not before. The rule of Miranda announces an evi-dentiary exclusionary rule. The motion was made before the actual commencement of the trial and the trial court could have reviewed its ruling on voluntariness in light of the Miranda decision without fatal procedural consequences to the state.

Even though we hold that this trial commenced after the effective date of Miranda, we conclude without hesitation that it has no application to the case at hand.

The summary of the rule of Miranda is as follows, at page 444:

“Our holding will be spelled out with some specificity in the pages which follow but briefly stated it is this: the prosecution may not use statements, whether exculpatory or inculpatory, stemming from custodial interrogation of the defendant unless it demonstrates the use of procedural safeguards effective to secure the privilege against self-incrimination. By custodial interrogation, we mean questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way. As for the procedural safeguards to be employed, unless other fully effective means are devised to inform accused persons of their right of silence and to assure a continuous opportunity to exercise it, the following measures are required. Prior to.any questioning, the person must be warned that he has a right to remain silent, that any statement he does make may be used as evidence against him, and that he has a right to *467

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Bluebook (online)
151 N.W.2d 157, 35 Wis. 2d 454, 1967 Wisc. LEXIS 1222, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-miller-wis-1967.