State v. Winters

556 P.2d 809, 27 Ariz. App. 508, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 657
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedSeptember 23, 1976
Docket1 CA-CR 1312
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 556 P.2d 809 (State v. Winters) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Winters, 556 P.2d 809, 27 Ariz. App. 508, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 657 (Ark. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

OGG, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment and conviction by the Maricopa County Superi- or Court of the defendant/appellant La-coure P. Winters for the crime of robbery pursuant to ARS § 13-641 (1956). The defendant was sentenced to serve a term of not less than nine nor more than ten years in the Arizona State Prison.

The defendant was arrested on October 17, 1974, as a suspect for a robbery which occurred on October 7, 1974. The arrest was precipitated by information supplied to the Phoenix Police Department by an informant who reported that he overheard an individual named Charles White and another individual known only by the name Lacoure discussing the robbery in question. The informant also informed the police that a white Toyota was used in the robbery and supplied them with the address of Charles White. Pursuant to this information, the police went to the area of White’s residence and "staked out” a white Toyota automobile which was parked on the street. At approximately this same time the defendant approached and entered the Toyota. The police then confronted the defendant for identification.

After initial questioning the defendant agreed to accompany the police officers to the police station and on the way to the station he made a statement which was introduced at trial as evidence incriminating the defendant in the robbery.

At the police station the defendant was fingerprinted, photographed and interrogated. The police officer testified that at one point he left the interrogation room, indicating to the defendant that he was going to check the defendant’s fingerprints against those found at the scene of the crime. The officer returned a short time later and informed the defendant that the prints matched, when in fact the officer knew they did not. The defendant then confessed to the crime.

Subsequently, the victim of the crime was called to the police station and identified the defendant in a photographic lineup.

On motion by the defendant a pretrial hearing was held by the trial court to determine whether the incriminating statements made by the defendant should be suppressed and whether an in-court identification by the victim should be allowed. The defendant has appealed to this court, alleging seven assignments of error pursuant to the denial of these motions and his subsequent conviction for robbery.

Defendant’s first and second assignments of error allege that the statements which he made under police interrogation and the testimony regarding the photographic lineup and in-court identification should have been suppressed as the fruits of an unlawful arrest. An examination of the record, however, discloses that the defendant failed to object to the admissibility of this evidence on these grounds at trial or at the suppression hearing. Although the record is less than clear on this subject, it appears that the only issues presented for the trial court’s consideration at the suppression hearing were the voluntariness of the defendant’s statements under the Miranda doctrine, and whether an in-court identification should properly be *511 allowed. It is a general rule in this state that failure to assert an objection to the introduction of evidence in the trial court will waive a claim of error on appeal. This court will not entertain an appeal from an issue not in the record and not raised for determination by the trial court. State v. Scanlon, 104 Ariz. 187, 450 P.2d 377 (1969); State v. Holmes, 110 Ariz. 494, 520 P.2d 1118 (1974); State v. Settle, 111 Ariz. 394, 531 P.2d 151 (1975); State v. Wilson, 113 Ariz. 308, 553 P.2d 235 (filed July 15, 1976). The defendant thus has no basis to allege error on these grounds.

The defendant’s third assignment of error alleges that the incriminating statements made to the police by the defendant should be suppressed because they were obtained as the product of deliberate deception by the police. The defendant contends that the police officer lied to him when he stated that defendant’s fingerprints matched those found at the scene of the crime and that this misstatement fraudulently induced him to confess to the crime.

Generally, deception alone does not render a statement inadmissible, but the voluntariness of the waiver of a fifth amendment right must be decided when viewed in relation to the totality of the circumstances. Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731, 89 S.Ct. 1420, 22 L.Ed.2d 684 (1969); Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973); State v. Braun, 82 Wash.2d 157, 509 P.2d 742 (1973); State v. Oakes, 527 P.2d 418 (Or.App.1974). See also State v. Dugan, 113 Ariz. 354, 555 P.2d 108 (filed September 13, 1976). A statement induced by fraud or trickery is not made involuntary unless there is additional evidence indicating that the defendant’s will was overborne or that the confession was false or unreliable. Schneckloth, supra; People v. Watkins, 6 Cal.App.3d 119, 85 Cal.Rptr. 621 (1970).

In this case there was no evidence of threat, promise or physical coercion which in addition to the uncontroverted deception would indicate the existence of an involuntary waiver of fifth amendment rights. Viewed in relation to the totality of the circumstances, we conclude that the defendant’s will was not overborne by the police deception to a degree sufficient to render the defendant’s statements false or unreliable. This case is therefore distinguishable from the recent Arizona case of State v. Denny, 27 Ariz.App. 354, 555 P.2d 111 (filed August 17, 1976), where this court found sufficient evidence to imply that incriminating statements made by the defendant were the direct product of admitted police deception and that these statements did not satisfy basic standards of trustworthiness. We find that in the present case the trial court was correct on these grounds in admitting the statements.

Next, the defendant contends that the trial court was in error in allowing the prosecution to introduce evidence regarding the photographic lineup identification. The defendant argues that although admission of this evidence was not objected to at trial its admission constituted fundamental error since testimony regarding the police photograph of the defendant created in the minds of the jury the impression that the defendant had a previous criminal record. State v. Kellington, 93 Ariz. 396, 381 P.2d 215 (1963).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
556 P.2d 809, 27 Ariz. App. 508, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 657, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-winters-arizctapp-1976.