United States v. Clair

19 M.J. 833, 1984 CMR LEXIS 3152
CourtU.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review
DecidedDecember 31, 1984
DocketMisc. Dkt. No. 84-08
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 19 M.J. 833 (United States v. Clair) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Clair, 19 M.J. 833, 1984 CMR LEXIS 3152 (usnmcmilrev 1984).

Opinion

GREGORY, Senior Judge:

Pursuant to Article 62, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 862, and Rule of Court-Martial 908(b), Manual for Courts-Martial, 198k, the Government has filed an appeal requesting this Court to reverse the ruling of the military judge below suppressing the confession of Petty Officer St. Clair made to Special Agent McGlynn of the Naval Investigative Service.

The appellee, Petty Officer St. Clair, allegedly sold 2.43 grams of marijuana to a Naval Investigative Service informant, who in turn notified Special Agent McGlynn of the transaction. Special Agent McGlynn testified at trial that several days after the report to him he interrogated the appellee. He ensured that Petty Officer St. Clair understood his rights against self-incrimination and determined that Petty Officer St. Clair did not wish to consult a lawyer. During the interrogation, Mr. McGlynn also raised the matter of possible restriction of appellee aboard his ship. He testified:

The only promise that I can recall making to St. Clair was the fact the CORAL SEA placed every crew member who was [834]*834questioned by me pertaining to narcotics on restriction and that was brought out during the interrogation of St. Clair. I specifically told him that I could not promise that I could get him off restriction, however, due to the fact that if he cooperated with me, I would contact the legal officer on board the ships. I contacted the legal officer and the legal officer told me that he was still going to place him on restriction, which he was. That’s the only promise I made him.

(R. 15). On cross-examination, Mr. McGlynn stated, “I told him that I could not promise him anything. I stated I would make a telephone call.” (R. 29).

Mr. McGlynn also indicated that he initially advised appellee of all the evidence against him. Petty Officer St. Clair at first denied the allegations made by the NIS informant, but eventually did admit to the offense and, at Mr. McGlynn’s request, executed a written sworn statement.

Petty Officer St. Clair testified that he cooperated with Special Agent McGlynn, “Because he said that he had enough evidence on me already that it would be better and to my benefit if I did cooperate with him.” (R. 47). Petty Officer St. Clair also testified that he thought about Mr. McGlynn’s statement concerning restriction to the ship when he decided to make his statement. (R. 47).

The military judge made the following findings of fact in deciding to suppress the appellee’s confession:

This court finds that on 1 May 1984, the defendant was interrogated by NIS Agent Michael C. McGlynn. This was a custodial interrogation, the interrogation took place at an NIS office in Portsmouth, Virginia. No other agent or person was present at the interrogation; the interrogation was not mechanically recorded. The rights portion of Appellate Exhibit 4 was read aloud to the defendant, the defendant initialled each portion of the rights section of Appellate Exhibit 4 and stated he understood these rights. He chose not to consult with counsel or have counsel present during the interview. After the accused initially denied any culpability for the offenses of which he was suspected, he was advised that if he told the truth and cooperated, the agent would contact the ship’s legal officer and advise the command that the defendant had been cooperative. The defendant was further advised that it was command policy for a person suspected of the type of offenses concerning which the accused was being interrogated, that that type of person would be placed on immediate restriction at the termination of the interview. The Agent said if the defendant cooperated, he would contact Lieutenant Commander Bryant, the legal officer for the ship, and try to assist the defendant in staying off this restriction. This was an important consideration in the accused’s determination to make the statement contained in Appellate Exhibit 4. Based on United States v. Hansen, at 45 R. 104, [sic]1 other applicable case law, the Constitution for the United States and the Rule for Court-Martial, I find this to have been an improper inducement and the defense request for relief is accordingly granted.

(R. 54-55).

Issue Presented
WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN SUPPRESSING THE WRITTEN CONFESSION OF THE ACCUSED AS INVOLUNTARY BECAUSE THE AGENT WHO OBTAINED THE CONFESSION TOLD THE ACCUSED HE WOULD TELL HIS COMMAND JUDGE ADVOCATE THAT THE ACCUSED COOPERATED, AND WOULD ASK IF THE ACCUSED MIGHT NOT BE PLACED ON RESTRICTION.

We will not dispute the military judge’s finding that Special Agent McGlynn’s remarks concerning pretrial restriction constituted at least some inducement for Petty [835]*835Officer St. Clair to make his statement. The crucial question is whether he erred as a matter of law in determining that this was an unlawful inducement. We believe that he did so err.

Military Rule of Evidence 304(c)(3) defines an “involuntary statement” as one that is “obtained in violation of the self-incrimination privilege or due process clause of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, Article 31, or through the use of coercion, unlawful influence, or unlawful inducement.” The Drafters’ Analysis of the 1980 Amendments sets out examples of what, by itself or in conjunction with others, constitutes an unlawful inducement, i.e., “promises of reward or benefit, or threats of disadvantage likely to induce the accused to make the confession or admission.” (Emphasis added).

We do not consider the statements of Special Agent McGlynn concerning the restriction policy aboard the USS CORAL SEA as either a promise or a threat. Rather, it appears more to have been a recitation of what would occur in the normal course of events.

As noted by appellate government counsel, the military judge in this case obviously relied on the following language appearing in United States v. Handsome, supra, taken from the United States Supreme Court opinion in Bram v. United States, 168 U.S. 532, 18 S.Ct. 183, 42 L.Ed. 568 (1897):

But a confession, in order to be admissible must be free and voluntary; that is, must not be extracted by any sort of threats or violence, nor obtained by any direct or implied promises, however slight, nor by the exertion of any improper influence____ A confession can never be received in evidence where the prisoner has been influenced by any threat or promise; for the law cannot measure the force of the influence used, or decide upon its effect upon the mind of the prisoner, and therefore excludes the declaration if any degree of influence has been exerted.

Handsome, 21 U.S.C.M.A. at 333, 45 C.M.R. at 107. Government counsel also points out, however, that, as noted by the Second Circuit in United States v. Ferrara, 377 F.2d 16 (2d Cir.1967), “[t]hat language has never been applied with ... wooden literalness Id. at 17. The Ferrara

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Bluebook (online)
19 M.J. 833, 1984 CMR LEXIS 3152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-clair-usnmcmilrev-1984.