United States v. Pacheco

819 F. Supp. 2d 1239, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52170, 2011 WL 1832815
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedMay 12, 2011
DocketCase No. 2:09-cr-055 CW
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 819 F. Supp. 2d 1239 (United States v. Pacheco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Pacheco, 819 F. Supp. 2d 1239, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52170, 2011 WL 1832815 (D. Utah 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

CLARK WADDOUPS, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Defendant John William Pacheco (“Pacheco”) moves the court to suppress all evidence obtained from an interrogation following Pacheco’s arrest. Pacheco asserts he did not knowingly waive his rights because he did not receive a proper Miranda warning prior to making inculpatory statements. He further asserts that Detective Daniel Wendelboth (“Wendelboth”) made promises and threats that overbore his will. Consequently, Pacheco contends his confession was not voluntary and must be suppressed. The court concludes that the Miranda warning was sufficient to warn Pacheco of his rights. The court further concludes, however, that Detective Wendelboth’s interrogation sufficiently overbore Pacheco’s will that his confession to Detective Wendelboth was involuntary. The court therefore grants in part and denies in part the motion to suppress.

BACKGROUND

From September 2008 through January 2009, twelve armed robberies occurred that were similar in nature.1 Two men robbed banks and a few other businesses.2 A police task force developed information that Kenneth Zinda (“Zinda”) may have been involved in the robberies. On January 17, 2009, the task force had Zinda under surveillance and watched him and another man exit a car and enter a magazine store at about 9:30 p.m.3 Unbeknownst to the task force until shortly thereafter, the two men robbed the magazine store while they were there.4 After the men exited the store, they drove to a [1241]*1241nearby apartment complex, switched to Zinda’s truck, and drove to Pacheco’s residence.5 The task force followed the men to Pacheco’s residence and quietly surrounded the house for several hours while the task force obtained a search warrant and positioned the SWAT team.

At about 3:00 a.m., the SWAT team ordered Zinda to exit the home.6 The other occupants also were ordered to exit the home, including Pacheco, his four young children, and his girlfriend who was pregnant. Pacheco was placed into custody at approximately 3:22 a.m.7 Rather than continuing their investigation in the cold, the task force took everyone to a nearby church. Pacheco’s ex-wife picked-up the children and Pacheco was transported to the Salt Lake City Police Department about one or one-and-a-half hours after he was taken into custody.8 He arrived at the station at approximately 5:00 a.m.9 He was then left alone in an interview room with a bottle of water and a blanket. Because it was a holiday week-end and staff was short, Pacheco slept for about three hours in the room before members of the task force started to interview him.10 In the meantime, Zinda also was being interviewed by Detective Wendelboth and the FBI and police were conducting a search of Pacheco’s house.11

During the search, police found a firearm buried in the ashes of a fireplace, along with a bank bag and wallets from the victim of the January 17th robbery.12 At other locations in the house and the occupants’ vehicles, the police located rolled coins, masks, and other clothing items that matched the description of the robbers’ apparel.13 Daniel Dunn, a special agent with the FBI then left Pacheco’s house and went to interview Pacheco. The interview began at about 7:45 a.m. in the morning and Detective Bolter, from the Salt Lake City Police Department, also was present and led the interview.14

At the start of the interview, the following exchange occurred:

Detective: I got to advise you of your rights, because you do have rights, you know that right? Okay. First and foremost you have the right to remain silent, okay? Anything you tell me, I am going to put in the police report. That police report can be used in a court of law at a later date and time if need be, you understand that, right?
Mr. Pacheco: Yeah.
Detective: You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, the state gives you one free of charge, you know that, right?
Mr. Pacheco: Yeah.
Detective: So having all that in mind, do you want to talk to us?
Mr. Pacheco: Yeah.15

When questioned about the robberies, Pacheco denied all involvement initially.16 [1242]*1242Pacheco was informed about some of the evidence against him and that he was looking at “12 counts of aggravated robbery,” with a twenty-five-year minimum on each gun charge.17 Pacheco continued denying involvement, however, in the robberies. About forty minutes into the interrogation, Pacheco was again told about the twenty-five-year minimum and more about the evidence.18 About four minutes later, Pacheco admitted he had a gun and that he was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm.19

A little over an hour into the interview, the officers encouraged Pacheco to show remorse to help himself out. They stated we “can’t make you any promises, but the federal prosecutor usually listens to our recommendation.”20 Agent Dunn then told Pacheco that he was working with another man who had committed twenty-three robberies, and that because he cooperated, they were “working out a deal for 25 years.”21 Detective Bolter continued the discussion about sentencing, and that under the “matrix system,” his score was going to be “through the roof.”22 At about an hour and twenty minutes into the interview, Pacheco admitted that his brother had asked him to participate in the bank robberies, but Pacheco had told him “no.”23 About ten minutes later, however, Pacheco confessed he was involved in the January 17th robbery of the magazine store.24

The officers continued interrogating Pacheco for another hour after this, during which time Pacheco did not confess to involvement in the bank robberies. The officers then concluded the interrogation, and Pacheco asked to use-the restroom.25 The officers indicated they would send someone in to take him to the restroom, and they left the room. In total, their interrogation lasted approximately two- and-a-half hours.

Ten minutes later, without Pacheco having been taken to the restroom, Detective Wendelboth entered the interview room and started his interrogation of Pacheco. Detective Wendelboth introduced himself as being from the FBI and he told Pacheco that he had just “offered [ZindaJ his deal.”26 Detective Wendelboth informed Pacheco he had had him under surveillance, knew his activities, and he provided some details of those activities. He then told Pacheco he was looking at the following:

[Tjhree life sentences. It’s 250 years, minimum mandatory. The judge cannot deviate from the charge, whatever we decide to indict. I can indict one, or I can indict ten. So that’s where I’m sitting right now.

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Bluebook (online)
819 F. Supp. 2d 1239, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52170, 2011 WL 1832815, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-pacheco-utd-2011.