524 P.3d 85
Or.2023Background
- In 2011 Craigen faced four felon-in-possession (FIP) charges and had retained counsel (Gushwa), who informed prosecutors not to question Craigen without permission.
- On December 30, 2011, Craigen shot and killed his neighbor; detectives interrogated him two days later without notifying Gushwa.
- During the interrogation Craigen said he shot the victim because he believed the victim had set him up on the FIP charges; detectives then asked directly about the FIP firearms possession (charged crimes on which he had counsel).
- Craigen was later charged with murder (and other offenses) and moved to suppress statements and evidence from the interrogation; the trial court denied suppression.
- The Court of Appeals held the questioning about the FIP charges violated Article I, § 11 and that evidence obtained as a result must be suppressed; this Court affirms that holding.
- The Court held the state did not prove the evidence was independent, inevitably discovered, or sufficiently attenuated, so the murder conviction was reversed and the case remanded.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument (State) | Defendant's Argument (Craigen) | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether police questioning violated Article I, § 11 when detectives asked about charged FIP offenses during interrogation about an uncharged murder | Police: questioning about the murder was permissible; right to counsel had not attached for the murder and Savinskiy II permits inquiry into certain new, different crimes | Craigen: asking about FIP charges (charged, counsel-appointed matters) without notifying counsel violated the right to counsel | Held: Violation — detectives impermissibly questioned Craigen about charged FIP matters without notifying counsel (Sparklin rule applies) |
| Whether evidence obtained from that questioning must be suppressed | Police: evidence admissible against the murder charge; any right-to-counsel issue as to murder had not attached | Craigen: exclusionary rule requires suppression of evidence that is the product of the Article I, § 11 violation | Held: Suppression required — state failed to show independent source, inevitable discovery, or attenuation; evidence inadmissible for purposes of the murder prosecution |
Key Cases Cited
- State v. Sparklin, 296 Or 85 (establishes rule that once counsel is retained, police may not interrogate about the charged crime without notifying counsel)
- State v. Prieto-Rubio, 359 Or 16 (adopts objective foreseeability test for when questioning about uncharged crimes implicates the right to counsel on charged crimes)
- State v. Savinskiy, 364 Or 802 (narrow carved-out rule permitting questioning about a new, ongoing criminal conspiracy in limited circumstances)
- State v. Davis, 313 Or 246 (remedy for constitutional violations requires exclusion to restore parties to pre-violation positions)
- State v. Dinsmore, 342 Or 1 (evidence obtained after Article I, § 11 violation is inadmissible for all purposes)
- State v. Jones, 248 Or 428 (exclusion of evidence obtained as fruit of illegal police conduct)
- State v. Thompson, 370 Or 273 (sets out burdens and methods by which the state can prove evidence was not the product of a constitutional violation)
- Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (recognition of the fundamental right to counsel in criminal proceedings)
