United States v. Brown

100 F. App'x 769
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit·Decided June 7, 2004·No. 03-1244·Unpublished·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

BRORBY, Circuit Judge.

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R.App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.

*770 Mr. Corey L. Brown entered a plea agreement with the government and conditionally pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), reserving certain suppression of evidence issues for appeal. The United States District Court for the District of Colorado sentenced him to thirty months in prison. On appeal, Mr. Brown asserts the district court erred by denying his motion to suppress a number of his incriminating statements. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm.

During the investigation of an armed confrontation in Colorado Springs, the police took four separate statements from Mr. Brown, who participated in the confrontation. Mr. Brown contends the district court erred in refusing to suppress three of these statements, alleging inadequacy of the Miranda warnings given.

The first contested statement occurred September 20, 2002, when police executed a search warrant at Mr. Brown’s apartment in an effort to locate evidence of a firearm used in the confrontation. While three other officers conducted the search, Colorado Springs Police Detective Jackson Andrews interviewed Mr. Brown regarding the confrontation. Mr. Brown willingly agreed to the questioning. After Mr. Brown informed Detective Andrews he was a convicted felon, Detective Andrews decided to advise Mr. Brown of his Miranda rights, in case authorities later criminally charged him as a felon in possession of a firearm. From memory, Detective Andrews advised Mr. Brown of his rights. Mr. Brown then signed a form indicating he was advised of his rights and agreed to make a statement. 1 Subsequently, Mr. Brown made incriminating statements he possessed the firearm used during the confrontation.

The next contested statement occurred when the police arrested Mr. Brown on October 12, 2002. Detective Andrews again advised Mr. Brown of his rights and Mr. Brown acknowledged verbally and in writing he understood his rights and wished to talk to the police. 2 Mr. Brown then made incriminating statements, again admitting he possessed the firearm.

Mr. Brown made the final contested statement while officers transported him to federal court for his initial appearance. After officers read Mr. Brown his Miranda rights and he informed them he understood his rights and agreed to speak to the officers, Mr. Brown made more incriminating statements admitting his possession of the firearm in question. 3

*771 Later, Mr. Brown moved to suppress these incriminating statements, contending the Miranda warnings the police gave him were inadequate because the officers failed to inform him any appointed attorney would represent him “without charge” and he could terminate the interviews at any time.

Following a hearing, the district court denied the motion to suppress. With regard to the September 20, 2002 statement made in Mr. Brown’s home, the district court determined suppression of the statement was not warranted because (1) Mr. Brown was not in custody when he made the statement, and (2) even if he was in custody, he received adequate Miranda warnings and executed a valid waiver of his rights. The district court also determined officers properly elicited Mr. Brown’s other two statements, finding they were not required to inform Mr. Brown he would be appointed an attorney “at no cost” or “without charge,” or he could terminate questioning at any time. Mr. Brown appeals, challenging the district court’s finding the September 20, 2002 statement was not given in custody, and all three statements were provided after adequate Miranda advisements.

When reviewing a district court’s denial of a motion to suppress, we accept the district court’s findings of fact unless clearly erroneous and consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the government. United States v. Bennett, 329 F.3d 769, 773 (10th Cir.2003). We also keep in mind “at a hearing on a motion to suppress, the credibility of the witnesses and the weight given to the evidence, as well as the inferences and conclusions drawn therefrom, are matters for the trial judge.” United States v. Fernandez, 18 F.3d 874, 876 (10th Cir.1994). However, we review de novo as a question of law both the district court’s ultimate determination whether a Miranda violation under the Fourth Amendment occurred, Bennett, 329 F.3d at 773, and whether a defendant is “in custody” for the purpose of giving a Miranda warning, see United States v. Erving L., 147 F.3d 1240, 1246 (10th Cir. 1998).

As an initial matter, we reject Mr. Brown’s contention he was in custody when he provided his first incriminating statement September 20, 2002. As the district court properly found, the circumstances surrounding this interview did not constitute a custodial interrogation. Law enforcement officers are required to advise a defendant of his or her right against self-incrimination only before initiating a custodial interrogation. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). A suspect is in custody and entitled to a Miranda warning where “a reasonable person in the suspect’s position” would consider “his freedom of action to be curtailed to a degree associated with formal arrest.” Erving L., 147 F.3d at 1246-47. Although the determination of custody is necessarily a fact-intensive exercise, several factors have proved useful in making this determination: (1) whether the suspect is made aware he or she is free to refrain from answering questions and may end the interview; (2) the nature of the questioning; and (3) whether the interview was conducted in a “police dominated” atmosphere. United States v. Griffin, 7 F.3d 1512, 1518-19 (10th Cir.1993).

In this case, the district court considered these factors and based its determination Mr.

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